The legend of Curt Cignetti and this Indiana football team only grew even more powerful Thursday, to the point questions need to start being asked.
Where will these Hoosiers ultimately rank among the greatest sports stories of all time?
Where does Cignetti already rank, in just two seasons, among the greatest coaches in college football history? No, it’s not hyperbole.
Indiana 38, Alabama 3 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
And the craziest part of all? It wasn’t even that surprising a result — not for anyone who has been paying attention.
Indiana has unquestionably been the best team in college football this season, plays so relentlessly disciplined and sound in all phases, has the second-best defense in the country statistically, is led offensively by the Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Fernando Mendoza and is coached by this absolute maniac (said with pure appreciation and awe, of course).
Alabama, meanwhile, peaked in early November, is mired with the worst offensive line it’s had in a great while and has no running game to speak of, which considering the last two decades for that program — of its overall history, more to the point — is simply inexplicable (and inexcusable).
No, we weren’t penciling in a 35-point evisceration, but a lopsided win of some sort was only a surprise to those with SEC blinders who keep spouting off about how Indiana wouldn’t have the same success with Alabama’s schedule.
We won’t name names … nah, we definitely will.
The Hoosiers doubled the Crimson Tide in yards (407-193), dominated physically up front, scored the first 24 points and played like they were the program with 16 national championships (or 18, depending on what one recognizes) and the roster loaded with five-stars and four-stars with the obvious talent advantage.
Nope, just a collection of mostly three-star and two-star talent that stuck around and developed under one of the greatest coaching feats in sports history — all sports.
The Bloomington (Indiana) Herald-Times broke down the rosters, referencing the 247Sports Composite recruiting rankings.
Per its research, Alabama had nine five-stars, while Indiana hasn’t signed a five-star recruit out of high school since such things were rated, ranked and tracked. The Hoosiers had only two former four-star prospects in their starting lineup — wide receivers Omar Cooper Jr. and E.J. Williams.
Alabama has the third-most wins in college football history and the most national titles since the polls/rankings have been in place. Until this season, Indiana had the most losses in college football history before ceding that to Northwestern and hadn’t even won a conference championship since 1967.
We could keep going, but the point has been made — these Hoosiers are an even more improbable underdog story than the fictional Hickory High School basketball team (loosely based on a true story) featured in the classic, inspirational movie “Hoosiers.”
Which the ever-quotable Cignetti summed up perfectly when asked to put these last two years in perspective …
It’s gotten cliche to say, but that doesn’t make it any less wild to consider or necessary to contextualize — just imagine if someone had even suggested all of this two years ago when Cignetti has hired from James Madison.
And then imagine if the story gets even better from here.
Indiana (14-0) now gets a rematch with Oregon (13-1) in the CFP semifinals Jan. 9, after winning by 10 points in Eugene during the regular season. If the Hoosiers somehow go all the way and win the whole thing …
Well, they’re going to need to come up with a better title than “Hoosiers II” for the movie because this team and its tale takes second billing to almost no other.
….
But that was only one of four incredible narratives from the CFP quarterfinals!
Miami, the final at-large team controversially added to the bracket at the expense of Notre Dame, knocked off the reigning national champs by doing what they do even better, controlling the game defensively in a 24-14 win over No. 2 Ohio State.
The Buckeyes had the best defense in the country during the regular season, but Miami has been as good as it gets on that side of the ball in the CFP. After holding Texas A&M to a mere field goal in their 10-3 first-round win, the Hurricanes shut out Ohio State until midway through the third quarter and warded off any comeback thoughts with a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes to punctuate the biggest win for that program in two dozen years.
Ole Miss continued to say good riddance to former coach Lane Kiffin after he bolted on the best Rebels team in more than 60 years to go try to build a national champion at rival LSU, all while the group he left behind moved yet another step closer to accomplishing that same goal without him.
Pete Golding is just two games into his head coaching career and he’s delivered two playoff wins for Ole Miss, which simply overwhelmed Georgia offensively in a 39-34 win (after losing to the Bulldogs during the season) while quarterback Trinidad Chambliss added to one of the greatest individual stories in college football. (More on that to come.)
And Oregon dominated what had been arguably the most dominant team in college football in the regular season with a 23-0 win over Texas Tech. All 12 of the Red Raiders’ wins had come by at least 22 points (while their lone regular-season loss came with starting QB Behren Morton sidelined by injury).
The Ducks and coach Dan Lanning made a statement of their own, and that rematch next week with Indiana is a true heavyweight championship bout just to even get to the national title game.
It’s a bit symbolic that Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State — which have combined to win 10 of the last 16 national championships and four of the last five — all lost while Indiana scored the biggest win its history.
Altogether, it reflects how much college football has shifted in the NIL/transfer portal era and how the perception of what is expected — or, more to the point, possible — has changed.
10 Final Thoughts On The CFP Quarterfinals
1. Best Game
Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34 in the Sugar Bowl
After one stifling defensive performance after another, it was nice to cap the quarterfinals with an old-fashioned (you know, like circa 2023) CFP offensive shootout.
Ole Miss put up 473 yards and was just too much for Georgia this time, reeling off three straight touchdown drives between the third and fourth quarters (one set up by a Bulldogs fumble) to turn a 21-12 deficit into a 34-24 lead.
But this one went down to the absolute end, as the Bulldogs answered with 10 straight points of their own — and a gritty performance from QB Gunner Stockton — to tie it at 34-34 with 55 seconds left.
That was too much time to leave Chambliss and Co., though.
Chambliss dropped a perfect lob pass to De’Zhaun Stribling for a 40-yard gain on third-and-5 all the way down to the Georgia 30-yard line to set up the eventual 47-yard game-winning Lucas Carneiro field goal.
2. Best Individual Performance
Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss
The legend grows for the former Division II national champion from Ferris State, who transferred to Ole Miss this year, started the season as the backup, seized the job in September when Austin Simmons was sidelined and has played as well as any QB in the country since then.
Especially Thursday.
Chambliss completed 30 of 46 passes for 362 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs and made one elite clutch throw after another in that second-half rally.
A former two-time national champion QB and Heisman Trophy winner put it in perspective.
3. Biggest Surprise
Miami 24, Ohio State 14 in the Cotton Bowl
Hopefully you didn’t put any stock in our score predictions. Whoops!
It was hard to think a Miami offense that got so severely muted by Texas A&M last round was going to be able to do enough against the Buckeyes and the top-ranked defense in college football.
Ohio State previously held 10 of its 13 opponents to 10 points or fewer, hadn’t allowed more than 16 points to any team and led the country in fewest points and yards allowed.
Miami did enough just offensively, getting on the board first, early in the second quarter on a 13-play, 83-yard drive capped by a 9-yard Carson Beck touchdown pass to Mark Fletcher, later tacked on a third quarter field goal and a finally a punctuating 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes with a 5-yard CharMar Brown TD run to seal it.
But the story was Miami’s defense. The Hurricanes played the Buckeyes’ game but better on this day.
Keionte Scott’s 72-yard interception return for touchdown against Julian Sayin late in the second quarter staked the Hurricanes to a 14-0 halftime lead.
That was one of two picks on the day for Miami, which also tallied 5 sacks (2 from Akheem Mesidor) and frustrated the Buckeyes all game.
Ohio State star WR Jeremiah Smith did have 7 catches for 157 yards and a TD, but the Buckeyes rushed for just 45 yards on 24 attempts and Sayin was under duress throughout the game.
Ohio State had four punts, the pick-6 turnover and a missed field goal to show for its first-half possessions and never fully recovered.
Two second-half touchdowns got the reigning national champs within 17-14, but another punt and a game-ending interception in the final minute followed.
4. Biggest Disappointment
Texas Tech
It was clear the Red Raiders hadn’t faced a team of Oregon’s caliber all season, but they had been so incredibly good and had two lopsided wins over BYU and one over Utah to legitimize their resume.
For a team that won every single game in which its starting quarterback was healthy by 22 or more points, to lose 23-0 in the biggest game in program history is absolutely a let-down.
Texas Tech managed just 215 yards as QB Behren Morton looked overwhelmed by the challenge the Ducks presented. He was 18-of-32 passing for 137 yards, 2 interceptions and 4 sacks.
What’s worse is this was a limited window for the Red Raiders to compete for a national title, as currently constructed. They notably loaded up in the transfer portal last year while spending a reported $7 million-plus on their defensive line alone, and it paid off with the best rushing defense in college football. But those game-changers up front could all be moving on to the NFL, along with star linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and others.
Texas Tech has shown its going to spend money to build a winner, but it now has to start over to a large degree after seeming so close this year.
5. Biggest Statement
Indiana 38, Alabama 3 in the Rose Bowl
This could honestly go to any of the four winners for different reasons, most of which we’ve already covered here.
But to sum it up, many in SEC country were still clinging to the belief that the Hoosiers’ undefeated season was merely the product of its schedule — even after beating then-No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and a top-10 Oregon team by 10 on the road in the regular season.
No longer, though — not after this masterpiece from Cignetti, Mendoza (a characteristically efficient 14-of-16 passing for 192 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs, like it was a spring game), the most underrated WR corps in the country making a slew of big catches (a TD each from Charlie Becker, Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr.), two strong rushing performances (15 carries for 89 and a TD from Kaelon Black and 18 for 89 and a TD by Roman Hemby) and 3 sacks and a forced fumble by a defense unfazed by missing one of its top pass rushers (the injured Stephen Daley and his team-high 19 tackles for loss).
Indiana has silenced all doubters — at least any with their eyes open.
6. Best Coaching Performance
Four-way tie!
Seriously.
We’ve touched on Cignetti plenty, but as one final point — Alabama made what was generally a universally praised hire in tapping Kalen DeBoer to replace retired legend Nick Saban, but the true successor to Saban in college football might just be Cignetti. The attention to detail, the efficiency and discipline in all phases and all units, the aura and intimidation factor.
And Crimson Tide fans had to reckon with seeing it first-hand — from a former Saban assistant who got away, no less.
Meanwhile, the knock on Miami coach Mario Cristobal going back to his Oregon tenure was that he couldn’t win the big games late in the season when it mattered most. And it was deserved — until this month. He’s erased that stigma entirely.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning made a 13-1 Power Four conference champion look like it was a MAC team paid to show up for an early September beating (at least offensively). Here was Texas Tech’s drive sequence for the entire game: three-and-out punt, three-and-out punt, interception on second play of drive, missed field goal, fumble, three-and-out punt, three-and-out punt, fumble on third play of drive, turnover on downs, interception, turnover on downs, turnover on downs.
And Pete Golding is making himself into a legend at Ole Miss already, moving the Rebels past the Lane Kiffin saga and leading second-half comebacks against the likes of Kirby Smart. There’s no reason Ole Miss can’t win it all at this point.
7. Wildest CFP Subplot
Lane Kiffin, duh.
Kiffin continues to tweet out his congratulations to his former team, but we’ll just let these tweets from respected college football reporter Ross Dellenger speak on their own.
And this …
8. Most Enduring Image From CFP Quarterfinals
Curt Cignetti’s trademark scowl after Alabama teased a fake punt early in the game.
Come on, you knew it was coming again.
Honestly, this image needs to be plastered on billboards all over Indiana and the Midwest — and maybe Tuscaloosa. Come on, Hoosiers boosters, have a little fun.
9. Best CFP Semifinals Matchup
Indiana vs. Oregon
Sure, it’s a rematch, but that 30-20 regular-season win for Indiana was three months ago.
Also, the only coach in the entire country who can match Cignetti’s innate intensity is Lanning.
Both coaches are also elite at getting their teams ready for the big moments. Indiana is set as a 4-point favorite by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Forget that they’ve already played this year, this is going to be incredible theater.
But there’s no wrong answer. Ole Miss vs. Miami (3.5-point favorite) is a fascinating matchup as well — the best offense left in the field vs. a defense playing at an elite level.
10. Coolest Stat
Of the four teams left standing, Miami is the only one that’s won a national championship in the last six decades.
The Hurricanes have officially recognized national titles from 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991 and 2001.
Ole Miss has claimed national titles from 1959, 1960 and 1962, but not from the predominant AP/UPI polls of the time which recognized Syracuse, Minnesota and USC as the national champs those years. The Football Writers Association of America crowned the Rebels champs in 1960 after a 10-0-1 finish and Sugar Bowl victory, which is the only year the NCAA officially recognized Ole Miss as a co-national champion.
Neither Indiana nor Oregon have ever won the national championship.
So either a once-legendary program is going to return to the pinnacle of the sport after more than two decades of mostly mediocrity, or an SEC team that has been largely overshadowed in the modern era is going to win its first unanimously acknowledged national title, or college football is going to have its first full-fledged first-time champion since Florida in 1996.
As a runner-up, there’s also this, which is quite a testament.
And this …
