Is Indiana now a perennial National Championship contender? 👀 Big Noon Kickoff
The Big Noon Kickoff crew discuss whether Indiana is now a perennial National Championship contender.
The Indiana Hoosiers began their quest to build on a magical 2025 season that ended with a national championship.
It remains to be seen how the year will turn out, but one thing is already certain: their mascot, Hoosier the Bison, will be bringing it every single weekend.
The Hoosiers reintroduced a bison mascot for the first time in sixty years last season, and the timing proved to be perfect.
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Hoosier the Bison, the Indiana Hoosiers' mascot, is on quite the run since debuting last season. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images))
For his debut, Hoosier skydived into Memorial Stadium.
Ripping a speed star like Keanu and Patrick Swayze in "Point Break" is tough to beat for a mascot debut. It was easily the best since Gritty threatened to kill the Penguins mascot.
So, for his sophomore season, Hoosier went with the zip line.
Not bad, not bad at all.
But if that was the extent of the mascottery, it left a little on the table.
...Wait, what's that?
I'm being told he also drove around the field in an IndyCar while the marching band performed.
Are you not entertained?!
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That's one of those "The European mind can't comprehend it" moments.
"Why is that cow driving a racecar on the pitch while the band is playing?"
First of all, it's a "bison" and a "field," and secondly, it's because it's college football, Üter.
What a start. I love to see restraint like that on display. Hoosier didn't have to knock everyone's proverbial socks off with the zip line because he knew that there was an open-wheel race car waiting in the wings.
Hoosier the Bison kicked off Indiana's 2026 campaign by driving an IndyCar onto the field. (Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
You don't see that out of these modern mascots; usually only the blue bloods have the experience to know that you don't want to give away everything with your opener.
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Fortunately, mascots aren't getting poached by way of NIL (not yet, but give it time) because after that performance, there's no doubt some schools with big checkbooks would be circling him like sharks around fresh chum.
