Sports wise, when you think of the Indiana Hoosiers you probably think of the blue-blood basketball program who have five national titles and a legacy of legendary coaches such as Bobby Knight, known for his iconic tantrum that involved him throwing a chair in the middle of a game. But Indiana’s football lore is a little different; they are the first team to lose 700 games, making them the worst FBS team in the history of Collegiate Football. However, this all changed when Indiana hired Curt Cignetti from James Madison.
Cignetti turned the program around in one year: 3-9 last year, 10-0 this year. This means that Coach Cignetti’s quote, “I win, Google me,” from before the season started, continues to be true with the Hoosier program. The Curt Cignetti effect is not only in full swing with the players he inspires, but the fans all along for the ride as well. Last year the average attendance of a home football game at IU was a pathetic 27,000; this year the program has sold out their last five games of the season. Despite the obvious current record, there are still some harsh critics who mock the strength of schedule; Indiana has only played bottom-of-the-barrel B10 teams. But, if you look at Michigan’s schedule from last year, the year they won the National Championship, they had a very similar strength of schedule. No matter where you stand on this debate, it seems the argument will finally be settled on November 23rd when #5 Indiana takes on #2 Ohio State, in Columbus no less. I believe that if Indiana is 11-0 coming out of the Horseshoe, they will be #1 in the country, overtaking the current #1 Oregon who beat Ohio State, but only by one point and on home turf. When Indiana beats Ohio State it will be the best story and best comeback in the history of college football, and Curt Cignetti will be crowned the greatest coach in college football history.
