No, Cignetti’s seat will never get hot as long as he makes a bowl every season. I don’t think his ego would allow a losing season but the schedule the next two years is very tough.
Expectations rise when you constantly meet the old expectations.
That's when you see some big programs fire coaches that are constantly bowling but not winning conference/national championships.
I agree it's probably a slim chance as long as Cigs has us bowling.
I don't know. I could see it going both ways. But he'd have to win for several more years in a row for those memories of our perpetual suckhood to fade to the point that we no longer expect nor remember. By that point he likely will be ready to retire?? So I don't see that happening anytime soon
@thehoosierhuddle I don't think Mellencamp is necessarily "bad"... but when compared with a decent number of other elite football practice facilities, its pretty pedestrian. Its definitely not a selling point for the program, at this point.
To do a Press Box and Concourse upgrade, the right way, I gotta think it'd be over 100 million. Big Press box that spans most of the length of the field, luxury suites below, better bathrooms and concessions in the concourses all the way around the stadium.
That's a lot of cheddar too! Luxury suites better pull their weight revenue wise, or that's also money taken from the coaches and player pools.
I'll join most of the fans in the riot if we ever fire Cig.
You know, for all the crap Cig gets from opposing fan bases for being brash and shit talking...
One thing I respect about him is he's actually a class guy. A media person can ask a question he already answered a few times or a dumb one, and the strongest he goes is 'I thought I answered that', then fleshes out the answer some more. He says nice things about fans, about the admin, and the school. Makes sure his players and assistants are available. I'm sure he wants them to develop on the academic side too.
And almost always says positive things about the other team and coaches. Even about Ryan Day scoring on us at the end 'naw, he needs to do what's right for his team'. I think Saban, who doesn't like Cig's brashness, was much pricklier.
We got a coach with a rep as a loudmouth but in reality he's fairly chill.
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It doesn’t take much for fans to jump ship. Especially those who are new and haven’t followed IU football for several years. I admit it was tough watching us struggle with ODU in week 1, but I still remember there were people booing and I always felt confident the team would improve which came to be true.
When you get used to filet mignon for dinner every night after spending years eating hamburger all the time you get a little upset when you have to settle for a sirloin steak. I hope I never get to that point. I think perhaps that may be Oklahoma State, but I guess time will tell if that was the right decision for them.
I don’t think there is any way Cig’s seat gets hot. Not even if he misses a bowl game or two. The people in power still remember what IU football was. No way.No, Cignetti’s seat will never get hot as long as he makes a bowl every season. I don’t think his ego would allow a losing season but the schedule the next two years is very tough.
Expectations rise when you constantly meet the old expectations.
That's when you see some big programs fire coaches that are constantly bowling but not winning conference/national championships.
I agree it's probably a slim chance as long as Cigs has us bowling.
Expectations rise when you constantly meet the old expectations.
That’s when you see some big programs fire coaches that are constantly bowling but not winning conference/national championships.
I agree it’s probably a slim chance as long as Cigs has us bowling.
We're not immune from that. We did it to Mallory after he got us up to winning and bowling and then fell off. Same thing with Crean. Even Allen, to an extent.
Look, I'm loving the heights we've achieved since Cig's arrival, but I'm not yet ready to believe we can consistently maintain our current standing. If we can achieve Iowa-like status -- consistently winning 7-9 games a year, going to decent bowls, and occasionally jumping up and contending for the CFP and a possible championship -- then we will have arrived as far as I'm concerned.
yes.Expectations rise when you constantly meet the old expectations.
That’s when you see some big programs fire coaches that are constantly bowling but not winning conference/national championships.
I agree it’s probably a slim chance as long as Cigs has us bowling.
We're not immune from that. We did it to Mallory after he got us up to winning and bowling and then fell off. Same thing with Crean. Even Allen, to an extent.
Look, I'm loving the heights we've achieved since Cig's arrival, but I'm not yet ready to believe we can consistently maintain our current standing. If we can achieve Iowa-like status -- consistently winning 7-9 games a year, going to decent bowls, and occasionally jumping up and contending for the CFP and a possible championship -- then we will have arrived as far as I'm concerned.
Yeah, I'm hoping (actually, expecting) for 7-9 wins, the odd bigger year and CFP. That would be just fine. Even if more are 8 wins than 9+ .
And I think we will do that. The landscape is still changing, but seems like Cig can handle it. I like the sound of the recruits he goes after. No reason we can't have as strong or stronger depth of talent than Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Maryland, Washington... Which makes us big time. But could win 6 or 7 in years we don't get the bounces. Even Michigan has done that.
Cig isnt going anywhere. I was worried about it last year, I dont see it happening. He will be 65 next season, his wife loves Btown, he is paid top notch (and will likely see another raise this year), his assistants are paid top notch, and this is his program and legacy.
Leaving this year would create another "wasted" year recruiting wise for him, and there is no reason to believe IU cannot recruit like PSU moving forward. 2026 is shaping up to be a top ~25 recruiting class. The year after we have one of the best QBs already committed and are in the running with a lot of blue chip talent.
PSU would be a tempting offer, but its also an offer that likely wont exist. PSU has a very expensive stadium renovation going on, they are not going to buyout their coaching staff, and then buyout IU's coaching staff. We already are in similar shape NIL wise too. The only teams I could realistically see "stealing" Cig from us are the teams he identified as having "unlimited NIL" - and none of those coaching jobs are going to open up this year.
Agree on those points and I'm not worried about Cig leaving, but we are not similar NIL-wise to Penn St. They're well ahead of us.
Taking the job at Penn State would set Cig up for expectations of Top 2 in conference every single year; not that he couldn't achieve it. However, my point is IU fans/Dolson would accept the occasional down year with much more grace and an opportunity to take a bit of time to reload in the event of an injury plagued year or some other unforseen circumstance. So Penn State has only finished in the top 4 of conference for how many years in a row now and yet they are unhappy about it. IU fans would be content for years with 8 wins per season; I don't think Cig would accept that from himself/the team but the fact remains IU fans are over the moon now and would be delighted to be super competitive moving forward. Seems like the perfect set up while looking ahead to retirement to me; vs ultra high expectations and ugly fans at PSU if they do not win it all every year.
Never say never, but if it were me, I would prefer to retire here as an all-time legend, and not be just another good coach at some other historically good program. Of course the admin needs to keep supporting the program in every possible way. Winning fills seats, gets better TV deals, drives merchandise/licensing revenue, attracts better players, attracts more and bigger NIL sponsors, and just generally pays for whatever it costs and then some.
You know, for all the crap Cig gets from opposing fan bases for being brash and shit talking...
One thing I respect about him is he's actually a class guy. A media person can ask a question he already answered a few times or a dumb one, and the strongest he goes is 'I thought I answered that', then fleshes out the answer some more. He says nice things about fans, about the admin, and the school. Makes sure his players and assistants are available. I'm sure he wants them to develop on the academic side too.
And almost always says positive things about the other team and coaches. Even about Ryan Day scoring on us at the end 'naw, he needs to do what's right for his team'. I think Saban, who doesn't like Cig's brashness, was much pricklier.
We got a coach with a rep as a loudmouth but in reality he's fairly chill.
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Cigs is very calculated in everything he says. Whether it is geared towards fans and raising expectations and excitement or managing his players by putting pressure on them or taking away pressure, he has a reason behind everything he says.
He isn't going to insult or piss someone off unless he thinks it helps his team
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