Indiana vs. North Texas: TheHoosier staff picks and predictions for Week 1

Indiana football is back in action as the 2026 season gets underway on Saturday afternoon against North Texas. Each week throughout the season, our staff will break down the upcoming matchup and make their predictions on how things will play out. From big-picture storylines to score forecasts, our weekly picks aim to give fans a snapshot of expectations heading into game day. This week, Indiana takes the field for the first time since the National Championship game in Miami back in January. Here’s TheHoosier.com’s football staff picks for week one. Alec’s Pick Indiana is back on the field for the first time since it was raising the National Championship trophy and quite honestly, this team has the potential to do so again in 2026. Before we get there, however, it’s week one and all attention is on North Texas. The Hoosiers face a team that brings in 70 newcomers, including over 50 transfers. It’s a totally gutted team from its 12-win season in 2025 and that brings a lot of uncertainty. The first two years, Indiana has struggled in the opener with slow starts against opponents that had teams with some continuity. What will we see on Saturday? I expect a totally different result for Indiana — start fast and end strong. Indiana’s offense is ahead of the last two years and there is more athleticism and quickness defensively than last season. There are still questions on the defensive side of the ball that likely won’t get answered until Big Ten play, but it won’t get exposed this week against the Mean Green. Hoosiers roll. Prediction: Indiana 52, North Texas 10 Colin’s Pick For starters, I feel like I have to mention that it’s great to be making staff picks again. There’s nothing better than football season, and with all the anticipation ahead of Indiana’s 2026 season, this one against North Texas should be a phenomenal environment around the stadium. The Mean Green aren’t the strongest opponent, and there are a ton of question marks with this team considering the complete roster turnover from last year. But with a solid quarterback in Jackson and an offense that shouldn’t be too bad, Indiana can’t sleepwalk through this one and expect to dominate from start to finish. Defensively, UNT is shorthanded in the secondary, and I expect Indiana to have a lot of offensive success. The Hoosier defense should be very projective, and frankly I would be surprised if it gave up multiple touchdowns. The real question lies if whether Indiana has the same growing pains that’ve been seen the past two years, and I really don’t think they will. Expect a good performance despite the blistering heat tomorrow, and IU rolls easy. Prediction: Indiana 45, North Texas 7 Ben’s Pick Indiana is back in action for the first time in 2026 and there may be some early hiccups that stops this from turning into a a typical Curt Cignetti beatdown. There could a few offensive miscues and maybe some defensive lapses, like there have in the last two years, but Indiana blows out North Texas nonetheless and shows its dominance as the game wears on. Josh Hoover reins in the turnovers and exceeds expectations. And Indiana’s running back trio each scores a touchdown behind a dominant offensive line performance. Prediction: Indiana 52, North Texas 10 Make sure to follow and subscribe to all TheHoosier social media platforms so you never miss any of our content on X, Facebook, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.