A national championship would make this program the 'greatest story in the history of college football'

A historic college football turnaround could become the sport's greatest tale if this team wins this year's national championship.

If this Big Ten program wins a national championship, it very well may be the greatest story in the history of college football. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

College football is defined by its history, yet the sport is currently witnessing an unprecedented disruption. A program long associated with futility and holding the record for the most losses in Division I history has suddenly surged to the top of the rankings.

The team is led by a quarterback who transformed from an overlooked recruit into a Heisman Trophy winner in just two seasons. This rapid ascent from the cellar to one of the top seeds in the College Football Playoff challenges everything experts thought they knew about rebuilding timelines.

On a recent episode of Josh Pate's College Football Show, the host discussed the gravity of this turnaround. He suggested that if this specific squad caps its season with a title, it would eclipse every other underdog tale the sport has ever seen.

Why a title win would be the greatest story in the history of college football

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti has already cemented his legacy by securing back-to-back Associated Press Coach of the Year honors. He stands as the only leader to achieve that feat in consecutive seasons since the award began in 1998.

Pate argued that Cignetti does not need a trophy to prove his worth, as his work in Bloomington is already legendary. However, the analyst emphasized that a national title would vault the Hoosiers past "great" and into a category of their own.

A national championship run for Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti would vault him and the Hoosiers into the pantheon of the sport, according to Josh Pate. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"If Curt Cignetti in Indiana won the national title, I am going to say it may be the greatest story in the history of college football," Pate said. "Certainly one of the most unbelievable stories, if not the most unbelievable story in the history of college football."

Observers often hesitate to use such sweeping language for fear of being a "prisoner of the moment," but Pate believes the opposite applies here. He argues that the public is actually underreacting to the historic nature of what is unfolding in Bloomington.

“We’re not going to recruit selfish guys, I guys, or guys who don’t want to pay the price.” - Curt Cignetti

That line should be printed on every locker room wall in America.

Talent matters.

But mindset, toughness, and team-first habits matter more. pic.twitter.com/T1tR7nbMST

— Greg Berge (@GregBerge) December 13, 2025

"I don't think people are making a big enough deal about what Cig is doing at Indiana," Pate said. "This is historic, all-time history of the sport stuff that's unfolding."

Despite outside noise, the Hoosiers remain focused on the task at hand. The university recently backed Cignetti with a massive eight-year contract extension worth $90 million to ensure he stays.

The Hoosiers will face the winner of the Oklahoma Sooners and Alabama Crimson Tide game in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.