12 days 'til kick.
Crystal ball: IU continues to assert itself as a national power, going 10-2 with a third consecutive appearance in the CFP.
We've got the best college football coach in the country.
@big-ryan wild to think he got his p4 job at the age of retirement and the worst one at that
12 days 'til kick.
Crystal ball: IU continues to assert itself as a national power, going 10-2 with a third consecutive appearance in the CFP.
We've got the best college football coach in the country.
If we get past Ohio State, we're going 12-0.
We don't just have the best coach in the nation, I'd argue we have the three best coordinators as well in CFB. Our whole staff is absolutely elite. Our freaking running back coach isn't 30 yet, is he? Cigs eye for talent is stupid.
I'll never argue against my team's success. I hope you're right.
That said, it's crazy hard to go undefeated in this conference. It takes great skill, great coaching . . . and more than a little bit of luck. We had some luck against Penn State (Cignetti said it was the most "improbable" victory he's ever been associated with) and Iowa, and in Mendoza staying healthy all season.
Speaking of Mendoza, it's hard to imagine there won't be at least a bit of a dropoff with the departure of our Heisman-winning, #1 overall pick team leader.
Road games in tough environments are always a challenge even for the best of teams. Hard to imagine we'll go undefeated @ Michigan, @ Washington (and maybe even @ Nebraska) but, again, I hope you're right.
But I won't be disappointed with 10-2 if that's how it goes. That would be a lock for the playoff. Would love to face ND again in the CFP and kick their ass.
We don't just have the best coach in the nation, I'd argue we have the three best coordinators as well in CFB. Our whole staff is absolutely elite. Our freaking running back coach isn't 30 yet, is he? Cigs eye for talent is stupid.
No argument on Cignetti being the best coach in college football, but I wonder what guys like Cam Cameron, Gerry DiNardo or Tom Allen could have done in the NIL era. Conversely, under the old transfer and NIL rules, I wonder how Cignetti would fare at IU.
@ohio-guy my guess is 7-5. 8-4. 6-6. Better results bc a better coach but the change in rules leveled the playing field overnight wiping out decades of legacies at traditional powerhouses by giving schools with deep pockets a chance
IUs mistake has always been hiring bad coaches and then holding onto for way too long. By the end of year 2 you generally know what you have. They also refuse to hire sure fire winners like Pearl, Beard, and Wade while other schools have no problem hiring them.
Character matters.
Cignetti is a giant prick. I wouldn’t want to open up the hood on his personal life.
Character matters when you’re losing.
I haven't seen anything to confirm the OPINION that Cig is a prick. He has his way of doing things and expects it to be followed..if that makes him a prick, so be it but it also makes him one of the top coaches.
Cigs follows the rules whatever they may be. Players wanted football to be treated as a business. Getting paid the big bucks isn't the only part of football being treated like a business. Means they can be fired and replaced just like in the real world.
There's nothing to indicate any issues with his personal life so not sure where you are going there.
@ohio-guy my guess is 7-5. 8-4. 6-6. Better results bc a better coach but the change in rules leveled the playing field overnight wiping out decades of legacies at traditional powerhouses by giving schools with deep pockets a chance
I think that's probably spot on. I also don't think Saban retiring right before the new rules took effect was a coincidence. He's a good coach, but he knew Alabama would fall back down to earth when it became legal to pay players. Alabama might still be good under him with a level playing field, but there is no way he was going to be able to dominate the way he did over the last couple of decades.
IUs mistake has always been hiring bad coaches and then holding onto for way too long. By the end of year 2 you generally know what you have. They also refuse to hire sure fire winners like Pearl, Beard, and Wade while other schools have no problem hiring them.
Character matters.
Cignetti is a giant prick. I wouldn’t want to open up the hood on his personal life.
Character matters when you’re losing.
I haven't seen anything to confirm the OPINION that Cig is a prick. He has his way of doing things and expects it to be followed..if that makes him a prick, so be it but it also makes him one of the top coaches.
Cigs follows the rules whatever they may be. Players wanted football to be treated as a business. Getting paid the big bucks isn't the only part of football being treated like a business. Means they can be fired and replaced just like in the real world.
There's nothing to indicate any issues with his personal life so not sure where you are going there.
Cig voted for Trump 3 times. Does that change your opinion of him?
@ohio-guy my guess is 7-5. 8-4. 6-6. Better results bc a better coach but the change in rules leveled the playing field overnight wiping out decades of legacies at traditional powerhouses by giving schools with deep pockets a chance
I think you're low. He would have won a Big Ten title and won 70-75% of his games.
Cigs was able to flip the roster easier due to NIL, portal and instant eligibility.
In the past, we often recruited players that weren't that good and washed out early. Could look at a recruiting class 3 years later only only 25% would still be on the team (if that). Often causing us to struggle to even fill the roster, especially given the limit on class sizes at the time.
In 2025, Cigs would have had to keep what we had on the roster (for the most part) in 2025. More than likely leading to a 6-6 or 7-5 season and a bowl game
In 2026, we would have a hs recruiting class of better players but they wouldn't have the experience/production that Cigs wants as starters. Maybe an 8-9 win season.
2027 would likely be our 2025 year and 2028 would have likely been the earliest we would be competing for a championship under the old rules. If Cigs had accomplished a championship at IU in year 4 under the old rules, then he would still be seen as one of the best college football coaches.
New rules have greatly reduced the time it takes to flip a roster. And now it is leading to coaches having to win now or be fired faster...leading to bigger and more frequent buyouts for donors to have to deal with.
Cig voted for Trump 3 times. Does that change your opinion of him?
Knight publicly appeared at rallies with Trump and my opinion of him and his legacy didn't change. We all have our faults.
@snarlcakes no chance without paying. Would not be top tier with Michigan PSU osu etc
@carramrod Cignetti is not a prick. He has a persona that may be a prick, but behind the scenes he's not a prick at all
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