Indiana's Success Can't Be Replicated with Just Money--But Teams Are Going to Try

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When the Indiana Hoosiers won their first national title on Monday night, message boards for every other predominantly bottom-feeder program said the same thing: If Indiana can do it, why can’t we?

In a way, this is sound logic.

We all hoped N.I.L. would bring parity to the sport. But if you asked a fan which bridesmaid or doormat school would have the best chance to compete in the N.I.L. era, how long would it have taken them to get down to Indiana? 50th choice? 75th choice? Most would have been remiss not to choose in-state rival Purdue first, given that they had actually beaten Ohio State in an era when personal computers had been invented. 

After all, when Curt Cignetti was hired, Indiana was the losingest program in college football history, with only three bowl wins to its name. Two years later, the Hoosiers matched their all-time bowl victories in just one season en route to the national title.

That should be inspiring for every other non-traditional power in the country. There’s a reason why you’re seeing schools like Kentucky, which are tied at the hip with Indiana in basketball, and have very similar football histories, open up a war chest of resources that would have never been devoted to football in the bluegrass state.

While money is key in today’s landscape—Texas Tech and Ole Miss are just two examples of rising stars because of serious financial investment—it is not everything. However, programs continue writing bigger checks in hopes of creating the next Indiana.

While Indiana’s meteoric rise is certainly attributable in part to financial resources—they have the largest alumni base in the country, and one of their donors is Mark Cuban—money was not the main reason for its sudden turnaround. What they have that others don’t is Curt Cignetti—and Cignettis aren’t growing on trees.

According to 247, Indiana had the 72nd-best talent composite in college football. That was good enough to finish between Iowa State and Cincinnati. Three spots above them was Boston College, which finished 2-10 and dead last in the ACC.

What made the 2025 Indiana team so special was its evaluation of talent and the wherewithal to judiciously allocate financial resources to players who fit the team model.   Plenty of schools had extremely expensive rosters this year. But dozens are probably wishing they had paid someone a little less or offered more to a player who went elsewhere.

Cignetti and his staff didn’t reinvent the wheel. They just evaluated guys who fit their system to a tee and didn’t discriminate based on stars or size. This team simply gelled better than most and had an elite quarterback as the cherry on top---fittingly, a player who was passed over by his hometown ‘Canes, only to beat them and claim the title on their home field. 

Yes, money will take you a long way in today’s game. Money can make a kid decide to live in Starkville, Mississippi (sorry, Bulldogs) over Los Angeles. Money can be the difference between 4-8 and a College Football Playoff berth.

However, you can’t just willy-nilly throw truckloads of cash at random guys who won’t fit your system but will win the headlines on On3. You need the right coach and the best evaluators to get the most out of that money.

You’re going to see a ton of schools pour tens of millions of dollars into their programs in hopes of replicating Indiana’s success. Some are going to reach the promised land, while others will watch their cash disappear and wish they bet on red instead of black at the roulette table.

Because that’s all this is now. College football recruiting has turned into high-stakes gambling, and you better hope that the board spins your way.

Cignetti was the type of guy who brought $100 to the table and left with millions. Others will show up with millions and leave with nothing---not even their jobs.

Thirteen Power Four coaches were fired during the course of this past season and into the off-season. That trend will only continue.

Cignetti set the blueprint and showed that these turnarounds can happen overnight.   Many boosters will keep donating their kids’ college funds until their team can reach the mountaintop. If the coach fails, a buyout is chump change in comparison, and programs will just try again with a new coach.

But is Cignetti’s success truly replicable? Probably not, but we would’ve said the same thing about Indiana’s national title hopes just two years ago.

So, teams will try their damndest and spend and spend more.

Every gambler catches a hot streak once in their life, right?