Big Ten Commissioner Praises Curt Cignetti, Scott Dolson as 'Absolutely Great' for Conference

Indiana is one of the big stars at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, and the conference commissioner began by praising the defending national champion.

Commissioner Tony Petitti started out the 2026 media session by highlighting the Hoosiers.

Big Ten Commissioner Explains Why Curt Cignetti and Scott Dolson Have Been Great for the Conference

Before Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson hired Curt Cignetti in December of 2023, the Hoosiers football program was mostly an afterthought in the Big Ten and even in Bloomington.

The Hoosiers have had more success from 2015 to 2020 than they had in the decades prior, but the program was, again, circling the drain.

Game attendance had dropped to 40,666 (tickets sold) for Tom Allen's final home game and IU had an announced attendance of 50,000 or more just six times in 19 home games from 2021to 2023.

Enter Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers have turned the Big Ten and college football on its head. The Big Ten commissioner took notice at Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday.

"We're obviously really extremely happy for the way it's worked out there and the quality of player and the program and the reaction," Pettiti said. "More importantly, the reaction from the fans and just what
that is now on a Saturday at Indiana. It's just absolutely great."

The Cignetti Effect and Explosion of Hoosier Nation

Indiana Fans — Indiana Hoosiers fans cheer on their team Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, during the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As soon as Curt Cignetti arrived in Bloomington, he took a metaphorical gas can and lit the place on fire with his comments in his first public appearance. The fire has been burning ever since.

The Indiana Hoosiers are 27-2 with a Big Ten title and a national title in Cignetti's first two years. They moved from an afterthought in the state to a cute story that received a dose of reality by Notre Dame in 2024 to a monster hellbent on vengeance.

"You saw (Indiana) double down and come out and do what they did last year, going through a difficult schedule and an incredible postseason run and the way they played and dominated across most of the games they played," Pettiti said.

The power of the Hoosier Nation started to be felt in 2024 when Indiana sold out the final four games of the season and then continued as they sold out all four of the Big Ten home games in 2025.

The Hoosiers are 15-0 at Memorial Stadium under Cignetti, and the traveling horde in crimson and cream flexed its muscle again in their College Football Playoff run.

Indiana fans took over the Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl and even in Miami's home stadium at the national championship game.

When money is the name of the game, it will be hard to ignore the country's largest living alumni base. Just ask the cities of Pasadena, Atlanta and Miami.

Scott Dolson is Becoming a Power Player in the Big Ten

Prior to the last two years, it was hard to take Indiana seriously when they voiced their concerns. Nobody cared what Indiana said because they stunk on the football field and had not won a basketball national title since 1987.

People are listening to Scott Dolson now. After winning the NACDA award for the nation's best AD. Dolson has been in meetings with politicians and with the power brokers of college athletics.

"I think everybody will tell you in the Big Ten all the people that get to work with Scott, he's tremendous to work with. He's collaborative. He cares deeply about the entire league. He fights hard for Indiana." Pettiti said.

With a bigger voice at the table in Scott Dolson, Indiana's interests will be well represented going forward.

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