Curt Cignetti Explains College Football’s ‘Paradigm Shift’ After IU Title

Indiana was the national doormat of power conferences across college football for nearly a century.

Until suddenly it went from being thrilled just to make a bowl game, to winning one of the most unlikely national championships the sport has ever seen.

What felt like just hours after winning the national title, Curt Cignetti and a few of his players met the media again for the champions press conference, one that star quarterback Fernando Mendoza didn't make it to.

In it, the players were asked about not just winning the title, but doing so at Indiana of all places, which led to quite the conversation about the changing of college football's old guard.

Indiana Offensive Lineman Pat Coogan:

Pat Coogan holds up the national championship troph — Indiana's Pat Coogan (78) hoists the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yeah, well, I think it starts with belief, right? There's got to be a like-minded individuals who come together for a common purpose, and sometimes that belief has to be a little bit irrational, especially at a place that hasn't had the success like Indiana.

I haven't been here for long, but I've seen it, and I've seen the way that this place has been characterized, and when Coach Cig got here, he believed, and he got people to believe.

Sometimes people laughed at him and people thought he was crazy, but that was a little irrational belief. You've got to get people to buy in, and you've got to get people to think alike, and you've got to get people to believe in the mission, believe in what we're trying to do here.

It takes a village, and it takes all of us, and it takes a whole coaching staff, and it takes a whole players, just everybody to buy in and believe in a common goal, in a common purpose.

Like I said, it takes a village, and it really took all of us.

Indiana Linebacker Aiden Fisher:

Just to piggyback off of what he said, from a program that is known for losing and a culture that was in a bad spot when Coach Cig got here, it was all about changing the way people think, and that's internal and external from the building. We described it as a sleeping giant when we got here. Indiana fans and just the culture around Indiana was just hungry for a winner, and they just needed the right coach and the right players to come in and flip this thing around.

It's been a special ride, and I think we had just the right staff, the right staff, the right players, and everybody that was right for the job to make this thing happen, and it's just unbelievable to be a part of, and doing it at Indiana makes it 10 times more special.

Indiana Defensive Lineman Mikail Kamara:

Mikail Kamara blocks a punt for Indiana against Miam — Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers defensive lineman Mikail Kamara (6) blocks a punt by Miami Hurricanes punter Dylan Joyce (94) in the third quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Kind of like what he said about the sleeping giant, I just knew last year when we played Maryland, that was kind of the turning point for the program, I think. Once we played them and then we beat Michigan at home, it kind of just started a trend going upward.

Then just to kind of have the season that we had last year and then have it end the way that it did, it kind of fueled a lot of the guys that were part of that roster to come back and work even harder throughout the summer, work even harder throughout camp. Then really just take it to them throughout the entire season.

I think it brought us a lot of confidence in knowing that we could compete at this level, and we're 16-0, national champions, so there's just nothing else you could have dreamt of.

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti:

The other thing I'd like to add, I think, to the question the players just answered about Indiana, I think that's called a paradigm shift. It's kind of like people can cling to an old way of thinking, categorizing teams as this or that or conferences as this or that, or they can adjust to the new world, the shift of the power balance in the way college football is today.

I think to look back at what happened to Indiana previous to us coming, 10, 20, 50 years ago, strictly lacked a commitment from the top. That's it, plain and simple. Nothing else. And we have a commitment, okay.

Cignetti then took a moment to look back on last year's Indiana team that helped pave the way for the 2025 squad.

The other thing I'd like to say, also, is this: This team went all the way. This was chapter 2 in the book. A very close team, special team.

The first team never got the national credit it was due because of the controversy over the playoffs, the way we played the last two and a half quarters against Ohio State and Notre Dame. That team got it all started. Never trailed until the ninth game of the year, and when they did up at Michigan State 10-0 first quarter scored 47 straight. Started out 10-0.

But never really got its due. That was a special team.