Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti is getting all of his flowers after leading what was once the losingest program in college football to the CFP crown this past January. He's getting some way too early, and perhaps erroneously.
On3's Ari Wasserman ranked all of the head coaches in the Big Ten and had Cig ranked ahead of Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. The two are head-to-head in their current seats, with the Buckeyes beating the Hoosiers 38-15 during the 2024 regular season, and Cignetti getting his win back in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game.
Right now may be the last time anyone can share this take. With the best of Cignetti's James Madison Dukes transfers during his job transition out of Bloomington, IU may return to earth as a team that's above its former standing in the cellar but far below a historical program like the Ohio State University's football team. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, may have hit on their transfer portal additions at linebacker and in the secondary. The players rising on the depth chart from the high school ranks look to be progressing well on both sides of the ball. In particular, the offensive line is seasoned, if not outright battle-tested.
Maybe Wasserman is ahead of the curve and simply sees Indiana lasting. With a head coach who has buy-in from his familiar staff and underrated players like Cig have based on the stellar results, maybe it's best not to ignore his ascension. After all, the Hoosiers have only lost to the Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish under Cignetti's watch.
Curt Cignetti probably needs to win more to be ahead of Ryan Day
Then again, this is year three for Cignetti and year eight for Day. We've seen the latter get up from taking a punch, many times from TTUN, in fact, and lead his team to glory. Sure, Day has institutional resources that help him do the job, while Cig has had to drum up interest in his program from the booster class by showing proof of concept first. Still, we cannot overlook what Day has accomplished during his time in Columbus under immense pressure.
Had there been a 12-team CFP since 2019, Day's program would've never missed it. The program has only ever had double-digit wins under Day, besides 2020, when the Buckeyes went 7-1 and made the national championship game. We're talking about nearly a decade on top.
If Cignetti's team took a step back this fall, and revelations about the team's penchant for pick-sixes to open games reveal something nefarious about the Hoosiers' 2025 season, it's possible Indiana is merely seen as a flash in the pan.
Day has never had a dominant season like Cignetti had in 2025, but he has a long track record of consistency. If the Hoosiers could somehow maintain that, then this ranking will age like wine.
There's just a chance that it ages like milk instead, especially if Ohio State could pick up the head-to-head win in the regular season and go far deeper in the postseason this coming winter.
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