Curt Cignetti loathes wasting time, so lets get straight to the point.Folks, no next Indiana looms on the horizon. Theres just Indiana.Within the college football ecosystem, the pundits reheated an old topic from last summer, debating which program is poised to make an Indiana-esque rise from the trash heap to the top of the heap.If the options for summertime college football banter are trying to unearth the next Indiana or scrutinizing the foot care of Floridas coach yes, thats actually a topic under debate then I choose the former.Toppmeyer: Dabo Swinney sounds like Hugh Freeze. That's not a compliment Hayes: No one wanted Bill Belichick before UNC called. Disaster was inevitableBut, the boring truth is no program seems imminently poised to replicate the jesters-to-heroes turnaround the Hoosiers pulled off. Asking who's the next Indiana, as if an answer exists, ignores the marvelous rarity of the Hoosiers' outhouse-to-penthouse plot twist.Could UCLA be on the upswing? Sure. Bob Chesney looks like a good hire. He kept James Madison humming after Cignetti left, and hes recruiting well at UCLA.Does Kentucky suddenly have reason for hope? Indeed. Rookie coach Will Stein signed a nice transfer class, and he boasts a track record for quarterback development. Kentucky will become a winner because of me, to be honest, Stein told reporters recently. Thats Cignetti-level bravado, even if he lacks Cignettis head coaching resume.Count Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State among programs with new coaches that should experience an uptick.But, neither UCLA nor Kentucky nor any other woebegone program is on the verge of going 27-2 in two seasons, like Indiana did out of the chute with Cignetti at the wheel and the nations largest living alumni base at his sails.So, while were busy mulling whos the next Indiana, heres a more relevant question:Can the Hoosiers repeat as national champions?Answer: The Hoosiers have a much better chance at repeating than Kentucky does of becoming the next Indiana.Indiana football is still stacked, making a repeat possibleIf Indianas jersey said Ohio State or Alabama or the name of some other blue blood on the front, the Hoosiers would be garnering more serious consideration for the No. 1 ranking in the preseason polls.They wont be No. 1, because I detect at least a hint of lingering skepticism about Indianas staying power, despite all evidence indicating theyre built to last at least so long as Cignetti is in charge and the donors stay engaged.The Hoosiers sent eight players to the NFL Draft after going 16-0, but they remain loaded. How loaded? Recently, when I cast my preseason all-Big Ten ballot, I wrote down the names of more Hoosiers than Buckeyes or Ducks.When the ballots were tabulated, Indiana finished with seven selections on our USA TODAY preseason all-Big Ten lineup, matching Oregon's haul and outpacing Ohio State's four selections. The Hoosiers defense looks stacked. The offensive line remains robust. Transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh and running back Turbo Richard (good player, great name) addressed skill-position needs.The key question: How big will the dropoff be from Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza to TCU transfer Josh Hoover?Big Ten armed with three national title contendersDont misinterpret my bullishness on Indiana as a knock on Ohio State or Oregon. Fact is, the Big Ten features three bona fide national championship contenders. (I wonder whether the SEC could say the same.)If youre picking Ohio State or Oregon to win the conference, I get it. Both feature top-of-the-line starting quarterbacks whove proven themselves inside the Big Ten. Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson join Julian Sayin to give Ohio State three Heisman hopefuls. Oregons defensive line could be second to none, just as Indianas linebackers could be second to none.There remains a big three in the Big Ten for 2026, and it doesnt include Michigan.Its Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon.Or, its Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State.Or, its Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana.We can debate the order, but those three form the Big Ten's Cerberus. The more I examine the Hoosiers, the more I think their teeth could be sharpest.I like the guys weve got in the locker room, Cignetti told ESPN recently. Weve been successful every year in the past, and I dont see any reason why we cant be successful every year in the future.I dont either.Why go somewhere else? Cignetti mused aloud.He already answered that question. Theres no reason to go anywhere else.Cignetti answered another question, too. Last year, when we asked whos the next Indiana, Cignetti and his Hoosiers showed there is no next Indiana, theres just Indiana. That's still true.Blake Toppmeyeris the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him atBToppmeyer@gannett.comand follow him on X@btoppmeyer.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why can't Indiana football get some respect? That's the real question