Curt Cignetti turned the losingest program in college football history into a wagon, as his No. 1 Indiana beat No. 5 Oregon with a final score of 56-22 in the College Football Playoff semifinal Peach Bowl on Friday. The win advanced Indiana to the CFP National Championship game against Miami on Jan. 19.
This win also marked Indiana’s second victory over Dan Lanning’s Oregon this season, following a 30-20 defeat of the Ducks in October.
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Indiana had never reached the 10-win mark in a single season before Curt Cignetti arrived ahead of the 2024 season. At Big Ten Media Days that year, he made his intentions clear, saying he wanted the Hoosiers to become the best.
With the Peach Bowl win over Oregon, Indiana now sits just one win away from that goal, and former NFL wide receiver Dez Bryant delivered a strong endorsement of Cignetti amid the team’s dominant run.
“All of the high school athletes who dream of being a 5-star player coming out of high school. Get that out of your brain…You should be grinding because you love the game…Coach Cignetti took a chance on guys he believed in who love the game.
“I have to point out both running backs for Indiana. They’re running the ball like you bet not get in my fucking way. They are playing with the effort you can’t teach. I love that shit,” Bryant tweeted.
All of the high school athletes who dream of being a 5 star player coming out of high school..get that out of your brain…You should be grinding because you love the game…Coach Cignetti took a chance on guys he believed in who love the game…I have to point out both running…
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) January 10, 2026
Indiana doesn’t have a single five-star player in its roster, while Oregon has six five-star athletes. However, Cignetti has built the nation’s top college program by identifying and developing a specific type of player.
That philosophy has paid off, as Indiana’s phenomenal rise has continued into its second season, with the Hoosiers improving to 15-0 following Friday’s win.
The PFSN College Football Offense Metric’s No. 1 team is now playing for its first national title and will face Miami, which advanced through a tightly contested playoff game against Ole Miss in Arizona
However, Cignetti wants to bask in the current glory rather than thinking that far ahead.
“I’m not thinking about the next game,” Cignetti told ESPN’s Molly McGrath following the Oregon win. “I’m thinking about cracking open a beer.”
Cignetti has completely reshaped Indiana football in just two seasons, having a 25-2 record, earning two playoff berths, winning the program’s first Big Ten title since 1967, and producing its first Heisman Trophy winner in Fernando Mendoza.
The Hoosiers have also posted back-to-back 10-win seasons and recorded wins over Ohio State, Alabama, and Oregon this year.
Some are already suggesting that Cignetti’s turnaround at Indiana could ultimately be more magnificent than the achievements of Nick Saban at LSU or Alabama, or any rebuild accomplished by a college football coach.
Indiana’s magical season also attracted another major boost from billionaire alum Mark Cuban, who told Front Office Sports that he already has money committed to support Cignetti’s program in the transfer portal.
