Curt Cignetti has resurrected Indiana’s struggling football program, transforming it from an underdog into a powerhouse in just two seasons. The Hoosiers entered the 2025 season as the losingest program in college football history, but closed it by winning the College Football Playoff National Championship with a 27-21Â win over the Miami Hurricanes on Monday.
With the win at Hard Rock Stadium, Indiana secured its first-ever football national title and became the first team to finish 16-0 since 1894.
Analyst Suggests Curt Cignetti for Buffalo Bills HC Role Following College Championship Win
Cignetti took over an Indiana program that went 3-9 in 2023 and made an immediate impact, guiding the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record in his first season, including an 8-1 mark in Big Ten play.
With Monday’s title win, Cignetti is now the first head coach since Gene Chizik in 2010 at Auburn to win a national championship within his first two seasons at a school. Following his success at Indiana, Skip Bayless offered bold career advice for the Hoosiers coach.
“I know Curt Cignetti has pledged allegiance to Indiana and college football … but I believe his wizardry and discipline and teaching would transfer to the NFL. Give him, say, Josh Allen and he’d win a couple of Super Bowls,” Bayless tweeted.
Bayless’ comment comes amid the Buffalo Bills searching for a new head coach after firing Sean McDermott on Monday. The next coach will face intense pressure to win immediately, as the roster is playoff-ready but has repeatedly fallen short in the Super Bowl.
Cignetti is seen as capable of thriving in a challenging environment. He has achieved success at Indiana without a roster full of top recruits and so imagine what he could do with a quarterback like Allen in Buffalo.
However, Cignetti himself made it clear before the national championship game that he is “not an NFL guy.” He said that he made that decision long ago and has always been committed to college football, making a move to the Bills or any NFL team unlikely, at least for now.
Cignetti has a 27-2 overall record over the past two seasons at Indiana, ranking No. 1 in PFSN’s College Football Offense and Defense Metrics.
“It’s a great thing, Indiana winning the National Championship two years into our tenure,” Cignetti said in his post-game conference. “You do it with people and a plan. Can’t say enough about our senior leadership and the people we have in the locker room, and the people we have on our staff, our strength and conditioning staff, support staff, and the commitment we receive from President Whitten and Scott Dolson.”
“This team really overcame a lot on the road in a lot of tight games and found a way to get it done, and we’re 16-0, and I guess we’re 27-2 since Indiana. But we’re 16-0, national champions at Indiana University, which I know a lot of people thought was never possible. It probably is one of the greatest sports stories of all time. But it’s all because of these guys and the staff.”
Cignetti will enjoy the title win for some time before turning his attention to defending it in the 2026 college football season, which opens against North Texas.
