Curt Cignetti Already Has More Top-10 Wins Than Several Notable Coaches

In just two seasons with the Hoosiers, Curt Cignetti has defeated six top-10 opponents. Here's how that compares to other elite coaches in college football.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti smiles after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There seems to be an endless amount of statistics that display how impressive Curt Cignetti has been in two seasons at Indiana. One that stacks him up against elite coaches is especially notable.

Cignetti has a 6-2 record against top-10 teams, including wins over Illinois, Oregon (twice), Ohio State, Alabama and Miami and losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame. Compared to 12 coaches who are widely considered some of the best in college football, Cignetti has the best win percentage of all against top-10 teams.

That's partly because Cignetti has a much smaller sample size than most of the list, as Kirby Smart more than quadruples Cignetti in total top-10 wins. But even coaches like Kalen DeBoer, Dan Lanning and Marcus Freeman have played a similar amount of games but have worse win percentages.

Here's the list, compiled by College Football Report and sorted by total wins with win percentages included.

College football coaches' records against top-10 teams

• Kirby Smart: 27-11 (.710 win percentage)
• Dabo Swinney: 19-16 (.542)
• Ryan Day: 15-10 (.600)
• Mario Cristobal: 8-8 (.500)
• Steve Sarkisian: 8-19 (.296)
• Kalen DeBoer: 7-3 (.700)
• Curt Cignetti: 6-2 (.750)
• Dan Lanning: 6-6 (.500)
• Marcus Freeman: 5-6 (.454)
• Lincoln Riley: 5-9 (.357)
• Lane Kiffin: 5-16 (.238)
• James Franklin: 4-21 (.190)

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Even more impressive is that all six of Cignetti's wins occurred during the 2025 season alone, as the Hoosiers went 16-0 and won the national championship. That run included five wins over coaches on the list above, including Lanning (twice), Day in the Big Ten Championship, DeBoer in the Rose Bowl and Cristobal in the National Championship.

Cignetti's six top-10 wins are also more than Freeman has in four seasons at Notre Dame, though Freeman knocked out Cignetti in the College Football Playoff last season. It's also more than Riley, Kiffin –– the most coveted coach this offseason –– and Franklin, who was fired by Penn State in large part because of this exact statistic.

In the context of Indiana football history, Cignetti's resume stands out even more. Indiana had a 6-116-1 record against AP Top-10 opponents from 1899-2024 according toESPN Insights. But in 2025 alone, the Hoosiers matched that total with a 6-0 record against top-10 teams.

Looking ahead to next season, Indiana should have at least one opportunity in the regular season against a top-10 team. The Hoosiers host Ohio State on Oct. 17, a that was ranked No. 1 for most of the 2025 season until Indiana defeated them in the Big Ten Championship.

There's also a decent chance Michigan, USC and Washington are ranked –– perhaps even in the top 10 –– when Indiana faces them next season. And of course, if the Hoosiers reach the College Football Playoff for a third straight season, they're almost guaranteed to face at least one top-10 opponent.

So by the time we revisit this list of coaches next year, Cignetti may be even higher.

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