Curt Cignetti Wins Back-to-Back Associated Press Coach of the Year Awards Indiana University head coach Curt Cignetti has been named the best coach in college football by the AP for the second year in a row. The Associated Press announced on Tuesday that Cignetti has been awarded the AP Coach of the Year. He is the first coach to ever win the award in back-to-back seasons and the fourth coach to win it twice after Brian Kelly, Gary Patterson and Nick Saban. Cignetti has had a historic two-year run since taking over the Hoosier football program before the 2023-24 season. Often considered the worst program in college football history, IU has lost just two games since Cignetti was named head coach. His overall record at IU is 24-2. The Hoosiers went 11-2 in Cignetti’s first season as head coach, finishing as Big Ten runners-up and leading IU to its first College Football Playoff berth. He ended his first IU season as Big Ten Coach of the Year and was named the Walter Camp National Coach of the Year.
This season, IU finished with an undefeated record at 13-0. The Hoosiers upset the #1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes on Dec. 6 in the Big Ten Championship Game. Indiana is now ranked as the top team in the country and will receive a bye in the first round of the college football playoffs. They will play the winner of #8 Oklahoma vs. #9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, California.
Indiana’s Lamar Wilkerson adds USBWA Oscar Robertson Plaudits Indiana fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson was named one of five USBWA Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced on Tuesday afternoon. Wilkerson shared the honor with Myles Colvin Jr. (Wake Forest), Melvin Council Jr. (Kansas), Graham Ike (Gonzaga), and Dennis Parker Jr. (Radford). The Sam Houston State transfer averaged 29.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals in just 23.0 minutes per night as the Hoosiers split games against Penn State (113-72 on Dec. 9) and at Kentucky (60-72 on Dec. 13). He shot 63.6% (21-of-33) from the floor, 60.0% (12-of-20) from the 3-point line, and 83.3% (5-of-6) from the free throw line. Wilkerson opened the week with a career-high 44 points against Penn State, a Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall record, and a program-record 10 made 3-pointers. He added four rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 24 minutes.
Per OptaSTATS, Wilkerson is the only Division I or NBA player in the last 30 seasons to score 40-plus points and make 10-plus 3-pointers in a game while playing less than 25 minutes. His scoring outburst marked the most by a Hoosier against a Big Ten opponent since Mike Woodson scored 48 points at Illinois on March 3, 1979, and the most in a Big Ten home game since Jimmy Rayl posted 44 points against Wisconsin on Feb. 12, 1962. He is the first Big Ten player since Luka Garza (44 on Dec. 6, 2019) to score at least 44 points in a single game. The school-record 10 made 3-pointers are the most by a Big Ten player since Jordan Bohannon (10) against Maryland on Feb. 10, 2022. He followed the historical outing with 15 points and two rebounds at Kentucky. The Indiana Hoosiers will be back in action at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 10 against Chicago State at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
About the U.S. Basketball Writers Association- Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation’s oldest award and the only one named after a former player. At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2026 Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis, with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis. The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season.
Indiana University Volleyball’s Jessica Smith Named to the CSC Academic All-District Team Graduate student outside hitter Jessica Smith wrapped up her collegiate career with an accolade that honors both her academic and athletic achievement during her time in Bloomington. She was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team on Tuesday afternoon. The organization, which works directly with athletic communication staffs across the country, recognizes student-athletes that meet rigorous academic and athletic standards. To be honored for the award, you must have appeared in 90 percent of your team’s sets while maintaining a 3.50 GPA off the court.
Smith transferred to IU this season for her final season of eligibility and provided IU everything it needed and more. On the court, Smith played in all but one match. She provided 22 kills, 25 assists, 24 aces and 149 digs. She became a reliable passer and played incredible floor defense for the Hoosiers. Off the court, she has maintained a GPA north of 3.90 while pursuing her master’s degree through the Kelley School of Business. This is her second career honor from the CSC. She was an at-large selection in 2024 while helping UCLA to the NCAA Tournament in Beach Volleyball. Smith will graduate with her master’s degree next spring.
Notre Dame Running Back Jeremiyah Love Declares for the 2026 NFL Draft Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is bypassing his senior season to enter the NFL draft. Love announced his decision on Tuesday, three days after finishing third in voting for the Heisman Trophy that went to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. “Making the decision to attend Notre Dame was easy because of the people,” Love said in an Instagram Story post. “From the amazing football support staff to my fellow students — I could not have picked a better place for me to grow into the man I am today. “It is with a wealth of gratitude I will take the many experiences Notre Dame has given me and apply those lessons learned as I move onto the next level. I look forward to representing my family and Notre Dame in the NFL.”
Love rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns while also catching 27 passes for 280 yards and three more scores this season. He became Notre Dame’s first winner of the Doak Walker Award, which is given annually to college football’s top running back. His junior season already has ended because Notre Dame (10-2) didn’t make the College Football Playoff and then opted against playing in a bowl. His outstanding junior season followed a sophomore year in which he rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns on 163 carries while helping Notre Dame reach the CFP championship game, which it lost 34-23 to Ohio State. Love had 28 catches for 237 yards and two touchdowns that season. The 2026 NFL draft is scheduled to be held April 23-26 in Pittsburgh.
Indy Eleven Announce the 2026 Season Schedule The USL Championship announced its 2026 schedule which kicks off on Sat., Mar. 7, and concludes on Sat., Oct. 24, with a full 12-game slate on the final day as teams pursue a place in the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs. The 34-week, 375-game regular season will see each club play 30 regular season contests and four group stage games in the third edition of the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup, with the top eight teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences advancing to the single-elimination postseason which will kick off the weekend of Oct. 30-Nov. 1. The 2026 USL Championship season will be the third in the league’s four-year broadcast agreement with CBS Sports, with games also set to air nationally on ESPN Networks, CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports Golazo Network, ESPN+ and TUDN. A full broadcast schedule will be announced later.
2026 USL Championship Season Key Dates
Mar. 7 – USL Championship Regular Season Kickoff
Mar. 17-19 – U.S. Open Cup First Round
Mar. 31-April 1 – U.S. Open Cup Second Round
Apr. 14-15 – U.S. Open Cup Round of 32
Apr. 25 – Prinx Tires USL Cup Group Stage Kickoff
Apr. 28-29 – U.S. Open Cup Round of 16
May 19-20 – U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals
July 11 – Prinx Tires USL Cup Group Stage Ends
Aug. 12 – Prinx Tires USL Cup Quarterfinals
Sept. 9 – Prinx Tires USL Cup Semifinals
Sept. 15-16 – U.S. Open Cup Semifinals
Oct. 2-4 – Prinx Tires USL Cup Final
Oct. 21 – U.S. Open Cup Final
Oct. 24 – USL Championship Regular Season Ends
Oct. 30-Nov. 1 – USL Championship Playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals
Nov. 6-8 – USL Championship Playoffs, Conference Semifinals
Nov. 13-15 – USL Championship Playoffs, Conference Finals
Nov. 20-22 – USL Championship Final
The 2026 season is Indy Eleven’s 13th overall and its ninth as part of the USL Championship, and the 16th for the league. The Boys in Blue open the campaign at expansion club Brooklyn FC on March 8 in its USL-C debut. The home opener is Sat. Mar. 21 vs. Detroit City FC at Carroll Stadium. Indy Eleven will play home-and-away series against all 12 Eastern Conference foes, along with six total matches, split home and away, with Western Conference opponents.
Dates Announced for the 2026 Brickyard Weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Racing fans, get ready! Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials announced the dates for the 2026 Brickyard Weekend. It will be held from July 24-26, 2026. The Brickyard Weekend race lineup will include the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Pennzoil 250 on Saturday, July 25 and the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 presented by PPG on Sunday, July 26. The full practice and qualifying schedule will be shared at a later date, officials said.
Tickets are on sale now, with Friday’s tickets starting at $15, Saturday’s tickets starting at $35 and Sunday’s tickets starting at $40. Admission is free for children 15 years old and under, as long as they are accompanied by a General Admission or Flex Admission adult ticketholder. And fans who already have their tickets to the Pennzoil 250 or the Brickyard 400 are in luck! They will receive a complimentary ticket for Friday added to their IMS accounts, officials said. Additionally, if fans brought three-day camping for the weekend, those purchases will be extended to four-day camping. That will also be added to their IMS accounts. “Tickets for all 2025 marquee events at IMS went on sale a few weeks ago, and fans can now add Friday of Brickyard Weekend to their plans,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “If you’re looking for a last-minute holiday gift or stocking stuffer, these tickets are a great way to celebrate with friends and family at the Racing Capital of the World.” For more information about the Brickyard Weekend, click here.