Hundreds Brave the Cold as IU Football Celebrates CFP Title at Memorial Stadium, Mellencamp Joins for “Hurts So Good”

BLOOMINGTON — Hundreds of Hoosiers fans bundled up and showed up to Memorial Stadium on Saturday for Indiana’s College Football Playoff national championship celebration.

The stadium wasn’t full, but there were solid pockets of crimson on both the east and west sides — IU flags in the stands, big flags ripping across the field, and the trophies front-and-center on the stage as players and coaches took turns at the mic. Confetti on the turf, a few bursts of pyro behind the stage, and plenty of smiles through the freezing air.

And for one more Indiana moment: Hoosier native John Mellencamp joined the celebration and performed “Hurts So Good” with the players.

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Please thank these sponsors for making the Bloomingtonian’s coverage of the CFP possible:

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service; Pizza X; Quarrymen Coffee Roasting Co.; Ferguson Law; IU Credit Union; The Ken Nunn Law Office; MSI Security and Investigations; The Laundry Co.; Anthony’s Lawncare; TRISTAR, Inc.; Better Than Mama’s Bakery; Little Bloom Boutique; Hoosier Alley Entertainment; Stride Center; Dave and Buster’s; RH Marlin Excavating, LLC; First Financial Bank; Liell & McNeil Attorneys, P.C.; Shine Insurance; Malibu Grill; Phat Daddy’s BBQ.

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Photos by Jeremy Hogan / The Bloomingtonian — Jan. 24, 2026.

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