r/CFB • u/LaDainianTomIinson Florida Gators • UNLV Rebels • Jan 20 '26

History [Pompliano] Curt Cignetti took over the worst program in college football history and then proceeded to win the school’s first-ever national championship within just two years. It's the most remarkable coaching job in the history of sports.

https://x.com/joepompliano/status/2013466392553505228?s=46
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3.0k

u/BengalFan85 Jan 20 '26

Legit video game shit

695

u/bubbanator79 USC Trojans • Team Chaos Jan 20 '26

Cig living all our dreams playing Dynasty mode IRL taking over a lower tier program and building an unbeatable national championship winning team

329

u/WagTheKat Nebraska Cornhuskers • Verified Media Jan 20 '26

Cig's performance is going to reset AD expectations and get some coaches fired.

"Whaddaya mean?! If Indiana, of all places can do it, you sure as shit better be able with the resources and history of Florida/Michigan/Nebraska/USC/Oklahoma/FSU, etc."

374

u/CammyTheGreat Texas Longhorns • LSU Tigers Jan 20 '26

“Curt built that team… in a cave… with a box of scraps!”

5

u/AintEverLucky Texas Longhorns • Team Chaos Jan 20 '26

I had the Tony Stark thought as well. And I wonder if Cignetti also might be a unicorn, once-in-a-century talent that cannot be duplicated, and it's folly to even try 🤔

Except, you know, for coaching college football, and not making superhero suits 😂

6

u/CammyTheGreat Texas Longhorns • LSU Tigers Jan 20 '26

That or he’s secretly also like Nick Saban or some shit

6

u/Shu3PO Arkansas Razorbacks Jan 20 '26

Is it a coincidence that Cignetti went to Indiana as Nick Saban retired? I think not. He stole the One Ring from Nick and is going to rule college football for the next 100 years. 

4

u/JeepnHeel James Madison Dukes Jan 20 '26

Hey JMU is rural but you can't just call it a cave

Ok we have a lot of caverns around but they're super nice

You're a cave

2

u/Vespasian79 LSU Tigers Jan 20 '26

Lmaoooo

1

u/Vespasian79 LSU Tigers Jan 20 '26

Lmaoooo

1

u/Sothdargaard Jan 21 '26

"Well I'm sorry, but I'm not Curt Cignetti."

10

u/NewTopic4745 Jan 20 '26

It’s gonna be teams who haven’t done it and think they deserve it because they’re a “brand.” 

Oregon being one of them. 

20

u/PM_YOUR_SMALLBOOBIES Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jan 20 '26

For sure, especially with all of this transfer portal nonsense and Fernando being a transfer, himself.

A complete program turnaround is just some lucky transfer shenanigans away

14

u/nufan86 Jan 20 '26

The perfect coaching hire, the transfer portal, donors spending on NIL especially with their alumni base, and proper support and resources going to the program.

It wasn't just transfer portal shenanigans its just fucking crazy it happened at Indiana.

3

u/Orbital2 Ohio State Buckeyes • Big Ten Jan 20 '26

Yeah I feel like people need to calm down here a bit.

Yes IU was bad at football for a long time but this is the largest alumni base in the country that traditionally has supported their athletic programs (basketball).

They have shown the model for improving your program but not every program is going to be capable of replicating this just by hiring a good or even great coach

4

u/not4humanconsumption Nebraska • Nebraska Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

That is what exactly scares me. While I may be wrong, and probably am wrong;?I like Rhule. I think he is building a good team. I also think that takes time. Nebraska was one of the youngest teams. We did go bowling. We looked like shit 💩 n the bowl, it was expected. I do have hope Rhule can build a team, and I also expect Indiana and Cignetti to be worse next year. All of their 23-24?year old players will be gone.

My thoughts are, we were young. We did get some vital transfers. Our young players stayed(they will continue to get better). Idk, I see good progress. I thing cignetti and Indiana was a one off. It might take another year or two, but they won’t sustain.

7

u/GeneralTaos Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan 20 '26

Indiana has a much better coaching staff than Nebraska. It’s not even close.

3

u/4r4r4real Michigan State Spartans • USC Trojans Jan 20 '26

Dang, I can't imagine Nebraska having unrealistic expectations as a program leading to them making bad coach hiring decisions ultimately making the program worse

2

u/DryBattle Florida State Seminoles Jan 20 '26

Please? Please I'm begging you to fire our coach.

4

u/MrBabbs Jan 20 '26

I did that in my dynasty league. Inherited a terrible team and won year two. Sadly, that championship was in 2015, and I haven't won since.

2

u/Evening_Dependent542 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jan 20 '26

I can’t even turn around a Retro Bowl team that quickly 

1

u/OpossumLadyGames Georgia Southern Eagles Jan 20 '26

My time as the head coach of the Idaho Vandals finally has a real life counterpart 

1

u/belgiumwaffles Ohio State Buckeyes • Texas Longhorns Jan 20 '26

Now just need someone to do that with UMass and my dynasty real will happen in real life lol

1

u/Laschoni Louisville • /r/CFB Contributor Jan 20 '26

In CFB I always started a dynasty at Western Kentucky if I wasn't winning with Louisville.

In Fifa - I'd pick a team in League 2 like Leyton Orient and play them up to winning the PL and Champion's League every year.

2.4k

u/Owldoyoudo Virginia Cavaliers Jan 20 '26

Smh. The "worst program in history" winning a National Championship in just two years? This is undeniable proof that NIL has ruined college football.

I miss the good old days when we knew in August that it would be Bama or Georgia. This sickening level of competitive balance has to stop.

396

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

[deleted]

180

u/Emotional_Tie_7927 Jan 20 '26

It just means more (playoff losses)

41

u/ooboh Iowa Hawkeyes • Maryland Terrapins Jan 20 '26

It’s just not enough.

3

u/adamsworstnightmare Penn State Nittany Lions Jan 20 '26

Blame Michigan for that.

4

u/Landlubber77 Florida Gators Jan 20 '26

Can't lose in the playoffs if you're not even bowl eligible.

pointing at head meme.org

5

u/Sir0inks-A-Lot Florida Gators Jan 20 '26

Playoff losses are the highest quality losses to be fair - the SEC is great at racking those up

4

u/Traditional_Gur_4016 Jan 20 '26

quality playoff losses.

40

u/fromcjoe123 UCLA Bruins • Michigan Wolverines Jan 20 '26

Well the quality losses and hypothetical wins still mean more I’m told

2

u/TonyDungyHatesOP Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 21 '26

Just ask Finebaum. And any ESPN executive. Or salaried employee for that matter.

For GOD SAKE! Will someone think of the SEC Network investments?!?!

6

u/trojan_man16 Illinois Fighting Illini Jan 20 '26

Is argue it means more now than ever. You not only have to get to the playoff, you have to survive 3-4 playoff rounds against the best competition.

Not ride a semi cupcake schedule and voter bias to get to the championship.

2

u/NewTopic4745 Jan 20 '26

You mean like Alabama did while paying players under the table for years?

3

u/wahchintonka Tennessee Volunteers Jan 20 '26

Dude if it means Bama and Georgia winning less, I will take the SEC being second tier to the Big Ten.

620

u/huskersax Nebraska • $5 Bits of Broken Chair Tr… Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

I mean no joke it absolutely has leveled the playing field and that's part of the story.

But IU was still punching waaaay above their weight too.

Just any way you look at it these guys went on an unexplainable run.

498

u/no_more_jokes Big Ten • Northwestern Wildcats Jan 20 '26

The explanation is that cignetti and his staff are better at talent evaluation than anyone else in the sport of football. It’s honestly that simple

275

u/tonyjefferson Oklahoma Sooners Jan 20 '26

And every game they seem to score a defensive or special teams TD. That’s a huge advantage.

177

u/SafeAccountMrP Florida Gators • Marshall Thundering Herd Jan 20 '26

All three phases matter baby.

139

u/ManBearPigPoop Jan 20 '26

They blocked a punt in punt safe formation. In the championship game. Unreal.

63

u/yet_another_newbie Florida Gators • Sickos Jan 20 '26

tbf #87 on Miami didn't realize there was a punt happening

42

u/hrbekcheatedin91 Georgia Bulldogs Jan 20 '26

Like a bouncer letting a pretty girl skip the line at the club.

5

u/ManBearPigPoop Jan 20 '26

The play was MAX protect. He heard LAX protect. Easy mistake.

5

u/xSaviorself Laurier Golden Hawks Jan 20 '26

Honestly watching the replay it's like he never sees 8 until it's too late and he's already past him. Barely makes any contact.

4

u/Leete1 Utah Utes • Weber State Wildcats Jan 20 '26

what a block!

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u/BigBungholio Jan 20 '26

We play our defensive starters on ST, something the announcers called out and kinda seemed snarky but it obviously gives us an advantage. I think that’s another amazing advantage to Cig, he doesn’t preach position loyalty. I mean shit, Ponds came in to get us a first down on offense in the Oregon game. They just put their heads down and do what is asked, and it works cause they fully trust Cignetti

1

u/tiga4life22 Jan 20 '26

What's a matter baby?

5

u/stobors Georgia Bulldogs Jan 20 '26

Kirk Ferentz taking notes

1

u/bbrekke Jan 20 '26

Chews gum furiously

154

u/Muscle_Advanced Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan 20 '26

I mean, 7 draft prospects is basically unprecedentedly few for a national champion in the 21st century. There’s more than just talent evaluation going on here.

108

u/LaFrescaTrumpeta Notre Dame Fighting Irish • Marching Band Jan 20 '26

i take it as “talent eval for which pieces fit this system” bc wow did they succeed on that front in a way i’ve never seen before

77

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

System gets you so far against the big boys. These guys know how to teach every position, how to motivate, how to game plan, how to lead…and yes they were ahead of the curve getting some hungry grown ass men in place of five stars they couldn’t recruit anyway… most amazing coaching job I’ve ever seen.

36

u/Cheap_Eagle5074 Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan 20 '26

Yeah. Indiana couldn’t protect Mendoza for shit tonight, and they still won. That usually doesn’t happen, especially against a defense like Miami had. They were scary

19

u/gwaydms SMU Mustangs Jan 20 '26

Especially when fouls weren't being called.

10

u/Cheap_Eagle5074 Nebraska Cornhuskers Jan 20 '26

No kidding! They were really letting those boys play… except for the hit on Beck at the end of course which was nowhere near as vicious as several hits on Mendoza early in the game 🙂

8

u/AssistDirect5790 Auburn Tigers Jan 20 '26

Not sure if the egregious holding and grabbing by the Miami secondary, the uncalled hold on the long TD run or the ignored personal fouls were worse. Did the refs not realize it wasn’t actually a home game for Miami?

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u/mellofe11o Jan 20 '26

Wasn’t the system at Michigan to just run the ball and keep JJ McCarthy under 20 pass attempts? That seemed to work + defense for a championship too

5

u/Friendly-Profit-8590 Jan 20 '26

Couldn’t recruit until now

5

u/ViagraOnAPole Indiana Hoosiers • Team Chaos Jan 20 '26

Discipline. Plain and simple.

2

u/Darklord_Of_Bacon Colorado State • Michigan State Jan 20 '26

Yeah they hit on the QB. Without Fernando this team doesn’t win the close games. Found an absolute diamond in the rough

5

u/RiffRamBahZoo TCU Horned Frogs • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Jan 20 '26

And the dude went for 186 yards with 0 TD passes in the natty, lol

Absolutely worthy of the Heisman, worthy of a top NFL pick, but they also won as a team overall.

4

u/Darklord_Of_Bacon Colorado State • Michigan State Jan 20 '26

We just gonna ignore the rushing TD that won them the game?

3

u/RiffRamBahZoo TCU Horned Frogs • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Jan 20 '26

I said passing TDs for a reason, my dude

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u/RiffRamBahZoo TCU Horned Frogs • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Jan 20 '26

It’s basically them and 2010 Auburn who made the entire plane out of Cam Newton as the only contemporaries with that little NFL prospectives.

Just a remarkable job all around.

2

u/Luis__FIGO Auburn Tigers • St. John's (NY) Red Storm Jan 20 '26

we'll see how the draft goes, 2010 Auburn only had 4 guys drafted, Picks 1, 13, 212 & 244. I wonder how this team will compare, i'd imagine they'd have more guys drafted / drafted higher but who knows at this point.

2

u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl Jan 21 '26

I think it's Cignetti doing moneyball and being ahead of the game. He had 5 years in D2 doing most of the job himself and having to figure out allocating partial scholarships to build a team, which gives him an edge in the NIL era right now. He's going for players that are disciplined and show production on the field no matter what their 'potential' is. He even said hell personally sift through transcripts to see who is going to class every day and who is just doing enough to remain eligible. In video game terms, he's trying to stock the roster with mid-80s guys at their peak instead of the flashy guy who hasn't proven the ability on the field yet. He has also said he prioritizes hip, knee, and ankle flexibility or as he says 'bendiness' to filter to players whose athleticism can translate directly to the field. And then he seems to coach instinctual football on the field. Miami had the size advantage in the run game but IU held up because they could read the play just a half second faster than anyone else. Classic play action, they could read it based on the OL's posture coming out of their first step. On up-close matchups, everyone's taught to 'step on your guy's toes' before you try to beat them somewhere so you're constantly closing space to be in position. The best example of this is Becker's go route against Oregon. No wasted movement at all, he's immediately even with the DB in his very first 2 steps. This is the incredible fundamental coaching people talk about.

 

In the national championship, he had Rolijah Hardy, Daniel Ndukwe, and Mario Landino all starting who were all guys he himself recruited in his first freshman recruiting class at IU.

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u/Axelrad77 LSU Tigers • SEC Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

Agreed. I think we'll get some moneyball-style revelations out of this, given how poor Indiana's talent composition is vs how well they actually played. It seems clear that Cignetti and his staff are looking at different analytics than the big scouting places, and that it worked better.

53

u/B0NESAWisRRREADY North Texas Mean Green Jan 20 '26

100%. It'd be one thing if it were a fluke, but we're talking about a 16-0 undefeated season in which they were mostly dominant. Wins against Bama, Ohio State, Oregon twice, Miami. They beat Iowa by 5, Penn State by 3, and ODU by 13. The other 8 wins were blowouts. They were so ridiculously in control of the outcomes this year that they have to know something that the field does not.

14

u/gwaydms SMU Mustangs Jan 20 '26

Some of those four-star players might be five-stars in whatever system Cig and his guys use, and so on.

4

u/StalinsLastStand Indiana Hoosiers • Billable Hours Jan 20 '26

Yeah, all five of them really played above their level.

10

u/tenclubber Kentucky Wildcats • Army Black Knights Jan 20 '26

I think the biggest thing is they look at results instead of potential. The best way to figure out if a guy can play football is to watch him play football.

3

u/EscapeTomMayflower Nebraska Cornhuskers • Chicago Maroons Jan 20 '26

It's crazy how much people overrate tools and underrated "is this guy just really good at the sport".

I remember when Derrick White got drafted by the Spurs everyone talked about it being such a Spurs pick because he didn't have elite physical tools but was just really good at basketball.

Now he's still really, really good at basketball.

4

u/JoeMcKim Missouri • Notre Dame Jan 20 '26

Who's going to play Cignetti in the movie? If they get a Moneyball-esque movie out of this hopefully Aaron Sorkin writes this also.

4

u/OswaldBupkis Jan 20 '26

Andy Buckley

2

u/JoeMcKim Missouri • Notre Dame Jan 20 '26

David Wallace!!! I wasn't sure who AB was since I'm wasn't familiar with the actors name. But as soon as I saw his pic after I searched for him on youtube, that's perfect.

2

u/poop-dolla Virginia Tech Hokies Jan 20 '26

Suck it!

1

u/gkryo Jan 21 '26

Jeremy Renner

1

u/JoeMcKim Missouri • Notre Dame Jan 21 '26

Renner definitely would be Andy Buckley since he's a much bigger name actor.

1

u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl Jan 21 '26

It's because his coaching background means he was already doing NIL stuff at IUP. They have limited partial scholarships at that level and he had to figure out a competitive roster construction on a budget. He also focuses on body flexibility he himself can see on tape over the standard numbers you see for recruits. As the head coach at a P4 program with money, he is still personally watching tape on every recruit IU offers and he has the final say

1

u/iluvs2fish Jan 25 '26

Poor? Thanks for the laugh.😆

88

u/tylerjehenna Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

Yeah, 7 four star recruits on this roster, no fives and he just won a natty against a team in their home stadium that upset the team everyone thought was a shoein to get to ghe final.

4

u/NudeCeleryMan Jan 20 '26

Shoehorn?

3

u/Piggy_Smollz404 Ole Miss Rebels Jan 20 '26

It’s actually Finkle. . . Shoehorn is Finkle, Finkle is Shoehorn

1

u/ConorTheOgre Ohio State • Vanderbilt Jan 20 '26

Presumably he meant shoo-in

1

u/tylerjehenna Jan 20 '26

Yeah, didn't notice the auto correct until now

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u/cyanocittaetprocyon Michigan Wolverines • /r/CFB Booster Jan 20 '26

Northwestern, it’s your turn next year!

4

u/chumer_ranion Rice Owls • Cornell Big Red Jan 20 '26

Well, talent evaluation and DEVELOPMENT, which apparently only a handful of coaches can actually do

3

u/larowin Michigan Wolverines Jan 20 '26

It’s one thing to assemble talent. It’s another to make them a team.

7

u/BigBungholio Jan 20 '26

For real. So many people are searching for a crack in how Cig achieved this but the simple fact is that he’s just better. He built a bulletproof team (with literally his first roster he was in full control of) that could do literally whatever it took to win a game, and there are no identifiable weaknesses that can be exploited to beat them. And that’s with a roster of 90% 3 star recruits, and literally not a single 5 star. I might be biased as I’ve been born and raised an Indiana fan, but I really feel like this is the birth of another dynasty. Cignetti isn’t going anywhere, he’s the spear head of turning this school from a joke into a staple of the sport, and at a school like IU, that is not gonna be taken lightly. With the Natty win tonight, I already feel like he deserves a statue in Bloomington, but I’ve gotta good feeling he’s not even close to done yet. Cignetti may very well get a new stadium built in Bloomington at this pace.

3

u/BigRedLighthouse /r/CFB Jan 22 '26

AND, he and his staff CAN ACTUALLY COACH UP 2 & 3 Star players. How many other coaches in FBS could have gone undefeated with this Indiana team, with ZERO 5 Star players, and only (8) 4 star players on their Roster. Meanwhile, Miami had (45) 4 & 5 Star players!!

So for all the people focusing on how Indiana “bought” their Natty Champion Team, that just isn’t true. Even the prime time Sportscasters gotta learn the facts before insinuating that the Hoosiers went to the Portal and loaded their team with 4-5 Star kids. That didn’t happen! Yes, they were very active in the Portal in Cig’s first two seasons - at the same time that some schools were still trying to get past page 2 in the “How To Effectively Utilize the Transfer Portal”. Heck, look at Wisconsin. They’re going on year 4 now with their big time HC hire, and they just finally hit the Portal super hard this Jan., because they really had to, because they keep losing guys after horrible losing seasons, and their HC can’t compete in the Big Ten recruiting game, at all! Speaking of Wisconsin, Cig kind of reminds me of one of the Badger’s old basketball coaches, a guy named Dick Bennett. That guy could take a bunch of no name players and build teams that made the Final 4. He rarely ever had a 4-5 star recruited player on the Roster- maybe never. He could sure coach though, and he always built a very disciplined team and he ran a “clean” program. Same goes with Coach Cignetti at Indiana. Once again, I’ll ask: How many other Coaching Staffs could have led this Indiana Hoosiers Team with ZERO 5 star, and only 7-8 four Star players to an UNDEFEATED NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WIN?

2

u/r0botdevil Oregon State Beavers Jan 20 '26

Not just talent evaluation but also culture building and just overall coaching.

I bet if you give that exact same roster to any other coach in the country two years ago, they don't go 16-0 and win a national championship this year.

2

u/wisertime07 Clemson Tigers • The Citadel Bulldogs Jan 20 '26

Talent evaluation, and I think that guy runs an incredibly tight ship, top to bottom. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see any slacking, talking back, missing practices (or classes), any of that. He's the strict parent with the over-achieving kids.

2

u/jamkey Jan 20 '26

Yeah, it seems like every major pundit (that I’ve seen) is afraid to say, “hey, maybe the way we evaluate players and say someone is 5-star is all wrong.” Hard to believe with a famous movie out there like Moneyball that we are not hearing the Oakland or Boston comparison from baseball more often.

2

u/TurboRadical Iowa Hawkeyes Jan 20 '26

I couldn't agree with this more. A lot of discourse has been about how IU has been winning despite this huge talent discrepancy, and, while some of it has rightfully been in jest, it seems that many folks really believe that these are subpar players winning on coaching, discipline, and heart. I think it's clear that what's really happening is Cig identified an edge somewhere in the talent evaluation pipeline and he's kept it close enough to his chest that it hasn't propagated.

2

u/EscapeTomMayflower Nebraska Cornhuskers • Chicago Maroons Jan 20 '26

It's like some people don't realize recruiting "analysts" can be way off.

There have been tons of historically great football players that were 2 and 3 star recruits. It doesn't mean they weren't talented just the recruiting services couldn't see it.

Aaron Rodgers was a 2-star prospect in HS and is arguably the most talented QB in history.

2

u/KongUnleashed Alabama Crimson Tide Jan 22 '26

Yes, but also better at instilling discipline. That team was so precise all year. Just absolutely stellar execution. Disciplined 3-stars will destroy entitled 5-stars and Cignetti is the proof.

1

u/blacklab Oregon Ducks • Team Chaos Jan 20 '26

And they could pay for the guys they identified. You can’t separate the two in the NIL era.

1

u/mrtylerrr SMU Mustangs Jan 21 '26

I’m not trying to dilute their victory whatsoever but when your average is close to some NFL teams we have to take that into account (IU was ~24 years old). He found a way to take advantage of that variable and it’ll be interesting to see if he can sustain success moving forward.

1

u/Available_Special106 Jan 29 '26

But they weren’t, average age was 22. Now that the season is over, go back and look at it or delete this. It’s such a lazy comment when it is so easily disproven

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u/TwoTalentedBastidz Texas Longhorns • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 20 '26

They’re very obviously not punching above their weight with a projected roster that’s supposed to be even better next season

67

u/MasterPineapple5127 Jan 20 '26

They won’t be better without Mendoza.

58

u/AvgNxDrNeighbor TCU Horned Frogs • Indiana Hoosiers Jan 20 '26

Hoover has potential. I trust Cig & Shanahan to coach him up a lot better than Dykes & Briles did.

2

u/VAGentleman05 Virginia Cavaliers Jan 20 '26

100%

2

u/markrulesallnow Indiana Hoosiers Jan 20 '26

Yup. And he’s gotta win the job afaik. It ain’t his yet

35

u/TonyHawkFunderground Oklahoma Sooners Jan 20 '26

Allllllberto

50

u/caveat_emptor817 TCU Horned Frogs Jan 20 '26

Hoover is legit. The drop off won’t be much.

2

u/SamuraiOutcast Angelo State Rams • TCU Horned Frogs Jan 20 '26

Good thing they had 2

2

u/Kurt4012 Penn State Nittany Lions Jan 20 '26

They’ll still have Cig coaching

5

u/TwoTalentedBastidz Texas Longhorns • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 20 '26

That’s not what I’m hearing from the experts

8

u/big_sugi Texas A&M Aggies Jan 20 '26

Did the experts say Indiana was the preseason #1?

3

u/gwaydms SMU Mustangs Jan 20 '26

The experts can take those preseason rankings and...do something uncomfortable with them. What are they really worth?

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u/Flyin-Chancla Texas Longhorns Jan 20 '26

The experts = Reddit lol

/s

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u/JoeMcKim Missouri • Notre Dame Jan 20 '26

Even if Indiana never wins another national title just the possibility of them being a regular playoff team is a huge deal.

1

u/TwoTalentedBastidz Texas Longhorns • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 20 '26

Based on their past history, yes. But as it currently stands in the NIL era they weren’t just some scrappy team that won it all. They were very talented and will be even more stacked next season

30

u/Wicked_UMD Maryland Terrapins • Illibuck Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

I don’t even know how much it “leveled the playing field” so much as it increased variance for everyone. Good programs are buying up all the best players as usual but that makes it almost impossible to have a program culture and development pipeline.

Indiana had the 25th ranked transfer portal class and only had 7 4* star recruits on the whole roster. That hardly shrunk the talent gap with the usual CFP programs, they just figured out… something? everything?… before everyone else. Feels impossible to describe as anything other than a miracle that will probably never be replicated.

5

u/BigSlim Indiana Hoosiers • Vanderbilt Commodores Jan 20 '26

I honestly think the average age of player aspect matters more than the casual fan thinks. College programs are running NFL level strength and conditioning, and the best programs with the best coaches are running complex schemes that they are adjusting in-game in real-time. Having a squad full of men that maybe don't have the out-and-out talent to go to the NFL, but who do have the strength, coaching, and smarts, is what I think made the difference for this squad. They made so few mistakes in terms of penalties, turn overs, and blown assignments, which is what the pundits and commentators noticed all season. That's maturity, coaching, and player selection (on the part of the coaching) trumping undisciplined talent.

2

u/KLWMotorsports Duke Blue Devils • Virginia Tech Hokies Jan 20 '26

Thats absolutely what it is. You have a more mature roster that's willing to learn and take the help of people who are now paying them instead of thinking you're the best on the team and everyone should cater to you.

You guys not only played ball to pay your guys but actually evaluate and develop guys who wanted to be there. Now with Cuban opening his wallet I have no reason to not believe you guys will be hated in a year or two.

3

u/BigSlim Indiana Hoosiers • Vanderbilt Commodores Jan 20 '26

"...will be hated in a year or two." Dare to dream. Though I can't see anyone hating Cig the way they did Saban or Meyer based on personality alone.

2

u/KLWMotorsports Duke Blue Devils • Virginia Tech Hokies Jan 20 '26

Maybe not hate him but you guys will be hated if you keep this run up, it's just inevitable with sports. You guys will collect those loud, obnoxious fans who never cared about the program that will ruin it for you good guys. It always happens.

The Patriots, Chiefs, Bama and early 2000's Duke basketball bandwagons have taught us a thing or two. Majority of the country wanted you guys to win, what comes next if you keep it up is the issue haha.

2

u/Wicked_UMD Maryland Terrapins • Illibuck Jan 20 '26

It definitely matters a ton in college sports, for sure, but I don’t really know if that’s something Indiana has done more than other contenders. I wish there were better CFB stats resources like KenPom in basketball where effective age and FD/40 and FTA/FGA are tracked stats. It’d help me make sense of this whole Indiana football thing much more rather than just “discipline” and “talent evaluation” that aren’t easily measured.

1

u/BigSlim Indiana Hoosiers • Vanderbilt Commodores Jan 20 '26

agreed

7

u/jdprager Tulane Green Wave • Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 20 '26

Yup. Indiana got a ton of guys from the transfer portal, but most of those guys weren’t good enough to even be offered by average P5 programs coming out of high school (some of them even as transfers). This was a mind-boggling masterpiece of scouting

5

u/SST114 Miami Hurricanes Jan 20 '26

It's leveled the playing field to the extent that a select set of programs can no longer hoard talent, but has not leveled the playing field as far as coaching and other attributes.

People who want to discredit "NIL money" like every program w/money is not deploying it can ignore the reality that your Bama's, Georgia's, Texas's, LSU's and a score of other competitive names and even more scores of supporting cast teams such as even Duke aren't deploying lots of NIL money.

Yet they're not Indiana or Miami this season are they? Texas Tech invested loads, blown out 23-0 to Oregon.

Salty SEC fans mad about parity shouldn't even try that excuse lol

1

u/edgybrahvoh /r/CFB Jan 20 '26

How did Bama and the SEC hoard all the talent before NIL? Were they just better at paying players under the table?

2

u/huskersax Nebraska • $5 Bits of Broken Chair Tr… Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

Yes and no.

The SEC also benefitted from being the first conference to really cement a self-reinforcing relationship with ESPN.

Prior to NIL the ability to have, essentially, the sports monoculture endorsing your conference became an ouroboros of recruiting success.

That said, it is also the case that the south generally speaking is far more institutionally corrupt than the midwest in ways that generally helped them drop bags to players.

35

u/tydye29 TCU Horned Frogs Jan 20 '26
  • Paul Finebaum

3

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

All my homies hate Paul Finebaum

79

u/GoBears6 Indiana • Northwestern Jan 20 '26

Look at Indiana's roster and transfers compared to the 4 teams (Ohio st, Alabama, orgeon, miami) they beat to get here and are you sure this is an NIL championship?

50

u/SST114 Miami Hurricanes Jan 20 '26

It's not.

That's salty excuse making.

NIL pay getting you talent doesn't mean that the talent converts that into Ws either, we have many examples the last few yrs of loaded rosters coming up short and some examples of them being disasters lol

Penn ST doesn't spend NIL money? Get out of here with that if that's your go to excuse for Indiana's success.

8

u/ImagineIfBaconDied Minnesota • CSU Pueblo Jan 20 '26

yeah it goes both ways. for every school who has the most NIL and grabs all the talent that generates wins, there are still some who do the same and suck ass

it’s a team game for a reason. you need a good AD, a great coach, QB, offense as a whole, defense and special teams. the teams that win it all have all of those regardless of money. IU had all of those qualities in spades this year. what Cig did was unfathomable and it can’t be overstated

7

u/Rivercitybruin Jan 20 '26

How many guys did they "buy"?

Mendoza and Coogan?.. Maybe pay JMI guys AFTER last season?

4

u/PaceIntelligent325 Jan 20 '26

It's not the NIL money, but it definitely IS using the transfer portal effectively.

2

u/LotusWay82 Alabama • Arkansas State Jan 20 '26

It’s a combo of everything—NIL, the transfer portal, and GREAT coaching. Plenty of schools have tons of NIL money that aren’t doing what IU just did.

1

u/poop-dolla Virginia Tech Hokies Jan 20 '26

Do you understand what sarcasm is?

39

u/johndelvec3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jan 20 '26

The SEC aren’t the only teams paying players anymore

4

u/prtzlsmakingmethrsty Virginia • Commonwealth Cup Jan 20 '26

Alabama Jones is not happy about this

3

u/FalstaffsGhost Georgia • Belmont Abbey Jan 20 '26

Never were but ok

3

u/Money-Giraffe2521 Arizona Wildcats • Territorial Cup Jan 20 '26

PAAAWWWLLL, them Yankees dun stole our main advantage!

14

u/legend023 Tulane Green Wave • LSU Tigers Jan 20 '26

Georgia was extremely close to having a chance to play Indiana this year.

30

u/sunburntredneck Alabama Crimson Tide • Texas Longhorns Jan 20 '26

So was Bama, we already had a date set and everything but then something came up

3

u/CrimsonMoonRising Georgia Bulldogs Jan 20 '26

There was something in the air that night, Fernando

59

u/Owldoyoudo Virginia Cavaliers Jan 20 '26

Oh no, whatever would they have done if they had to face an SEC team in the playoff?

Oh wait…

13

u/KirbyDumber88 Georgia Bulldogs Jan 20 '26

Are you saying we simply should have run it in on 2nd and goal with less than a minute left? Why in the FUCK would we do that

7

u/atomicskiracer Jan 20 '26

But, they weren’t good enough. So they didn’t.

4

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

I mean they’re not exactly known for their education

7

u/Owldoyoudo Virginia Cavaliers Jan 20 '26

They’re quickly not becoming known for their football anymore either.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

Yep ESPN is already spinning that they’re a basketball conference

4

u/Owldoyoudo Virginia Cavaliers Jan 20 '26

Because they won 1 in the last 13 years?

Yeah ok ESPN….

1

u/FootballAndPornAcct Georgia Bulldogs • College Football Playoff Jan 20 '26

We can't all be known for our academic prowess

2

u/burnsniper Virginia • Virginia Tech Jan 20 '26

But damn if it wasn’t fun

2

u/CrimsonMoonRising Georgia Bulldogs Jan 20 '26

The children yearn for the dynasties

2

u/Rivercitybruin Jan 20 '26

Haha

I am so sick of all that blathering

Who was a "unique transfer" other than Mendoza? And ND center too

I think it was JMI and Tom Allen recruits

1

u/Gryphon426 Jan 20 '26

Boy, Pat Coogan was a GET 🙂

2

u/Odd_Tradition1670 Indiana Hoosiers Jan 20 '26

I know right?! Can we please just go back to paying players under the table like a true program built on high morale Standards and integrity? /s

2

u/Sgt-Spliff- Michigan State Spartans Jan 20 '26

This is exactly what half this sub has sounded like for the past 2 seasons. So many posts/comments complain as if college football being completely ruined is a given and we all agree it's happening, ignoring how exciting these past 2 post seasons have been

2

u/juicius Michigan Wolverines Jan 20 '26

I don't know about "ruin." I know there are a lot of former 5* players flitting around looking for max money, but Cig built a championship team with players not fitting that description. I think a lot of teams will take a good look at what he did and come to a conclusion that a unified locker room filled with mature players who complement each other and collectively willing to buy in to the coach's philosophy and work tirelessly at it is more successful than simply throwing money at players to buy them for one year.

And there will be teams who will keep throwing money at it.

There's a good way to use NIL and a bad way. Once the good way prove to be the winning way consistently, year after year, the teams will see it.

And I think it might change the way high school kids select teams. Don't be the 4th guy on the depth behind three 4 and 5* kds. Go to a smaller school and ball out. And transfer to a good P4 with a sizable NIL. Repeat enough and some of those 4 and %* might think that way too. I mean, 5* at Alabama or Georgia doesn't mean you'll start immediately. The days of stockpiling talents is probably over.

2

u/aksoileau LSU Tigers Jan 20 '26

That you Paul? 😆

2

u/Aggravating-Cat-4730 Jan 20 '26

How does this nonsense have 2,000 upvotes ?😭😭 I love watching the same 4 teams compete for a Natty Every year!

2

u/[deleted] Jan 21 '26

FUCK the good ol old days, THIS is way better and a lot more fun. I want volatility and unpredictability and chaos.

1

u/Creative-Stable-0 Virginia Tech Hokies Jan 20 '26

The only won because they ducked UVA by canceling that game.

1

u/zdustin Boise State Broncos • Idaho Vandals Jan 20 '26

I mean it’s great for Indiana and other power schools but it’s not great for JMU and other smaller programs

1

u/MalaysiaTeacher Jan 20 '26

"ruined" is when anyone can win. Lol

1

u/BoomerSoonerFUT Oklahoma Sooners • Michigan Wolverines Jan 20 '26

I love how Georgia gets lumped in there just because they had a dominant run for a couple of years.

Prior to their b2b in 21/22 they hadn’t won a natty in 40 years lol.

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88

u/Carnasty_ Notre Dame Fighting Irish Jan 20 '26

Not even.

I cant even perform this in NCAA on Xbox.

39

u/scarywolverine Michigan Wolverines Jan 20 '26

Cignetti could

6

u/RememberLepanto1571 Tennessee Volunteers Jan 20 '26

He wins. Google him.

5

u/Geno0wl Ohio State • Cincinnati Jan 20 '26

With a box of scraps in a cave

2

u/ArmadilloForsaken458 Ohio State Buckeyes Jan 20 '26

Sure you can, you just have to bend the rules in the game a bit, which you cant do in real life lol

3

u/Expensive-Method8321 Georgetown Hoyas Jan 20 '26

Fr in year 9 of my Kent State save and I've still not managed to do it. Just a bunch of QF and SF appearances and natty game blowout at the hands of Clemson

74

u/ExternalTangents Florida Gators • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Jan 20 '26

Surest sign yet that we live in a simulation.

Turns out the simulation is a college football video game. All of us are just random side bits and bytes in the background calculations of some teenager named Kurt playing video games in his bedroom in Indiana

19

u/s1105615 Michigan Wolverines Jan 20 '26

I’m just grateful they let Michigan win one before putting Cig at IU

6

u/lvl1_slime UCSB Gauchos • USC Trojans Jan 20 '26

Out of all the tales on this thread this one somehow seems the most realistic.

I think we finally stumbled across the unifying theory of everything

33

u/Fishak_29 LSU Tigers Jan 20 '26

If I did this in Dynasty mode I’d probably quit after because it wouldn’t have felt realistic enough

3

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

definitely need to up the difficulty

49

u/mojizus Ohio State • Cincinnati Jan 20 '26

If I’m playing CFB 26 and I turn a team around in just 2 seasons I start a new one because it feels too unrealistic to do it that fast.

Now I’ve seen that it actually is possible to do video game shit in real life.

7

u/MagicalRaccoon35 Robert Morris Colonials Jan 20 '26

I legit quit and turned up the difficulty on the next save because it felt so wrong to win in 2 seasons.

This is one of the kost unbelievable things I have ever seen

1

u/Stop-husker-media Jan 20 '26

It's like when Skateboarders started doing multiple tricks in a grind because they could do it in Tony hawk's pro skater.

17

u/eamus_catuli Illinois Fighting Illini • Team Chaos Jan 20 '26

Have the EA Sports College Football developers added alumni billionaires throwing gobs of NIL money at programs yet?

3

u/Gryphon426 Jan 20 '26

Don’t even. IU was 12th in nil 💰

3

u/NA_Faker Texas Longhorns • Wisconsin Badgers Jan 20 '26

Too unrealistic even for CFB 26, this is when you start a new save

2

u/crimsonlaw Alabama • Jacksonville State Jan 20 '26

Perfect description!

2

u/_cambino_ Oregon State Beavers Jan 20 '26

my friend picked indiana for our rebuild dynasty back in 2024 for CFB 25. He lowkey predicted this insanity and i give him his flowers for if

2

u/fu-depaul Salad Bowl • Refrigerator Bowl Jan 20 '26

I can't help but think of this...

What, like it's hard?

1

u/Juicey_J_Hammerman Rutgers • Susquehanna Jan 20 '26

Bro I would’ve started a new dynasty mode save by now if this was my coaches trajectory because it would’ve felt too unrealistic and immersion breaking.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

I manifested this over the past 2 years with the return of NCAA Football on PS5 /s

1

u/woahdude12321 Louisville Cardinals Jan 20 '26

Next years game will have press x to glance into the camera after a touchdown but it’ll cost 5000 coaching credits to buy the expressions

1

u/Revolutionary-Bank35 Jan 21 '26

So Indiana fans....when exactly is his statue being build?

1

u/No_-_you_are Georgia Tech • Vanderbilt Jan 22 '26

Legit $2.6M on a single player

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