Illini4Chief
- TENNESSEE
Bit of timing issue here......all of a sudden, the alibi pops
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Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
Agreed - IU wasn't so much an upset within the context of this season. They were clearly established as the best team (or one of the 2 or 3 best) by late October. IMO the day I watched them basically dominate Oregon I thought they were at least the best BIG team & after the Rose Bowl they were the clear best team.
The shock with them is more viewed in the perspective of history & what the program has always been pre Cignetti.
I agree. Further, they were clearly the best team preseason and all through the season just people weren’t aware.
Their turnaround is directly related to MAJOR rule changes. Indiana is not a Cinderella but a Powerhouse. To me, they are the number one football program in the country for this 10 year stretch (Cignetti’s tenure).
we’ll see
seldom do things like this ever go as planned . No one can predict what the overall landscape of big time CFB will be in 2-3 years , let alone how Cignetti manages it .
with 50% of their roster changing over the, no one even knows what they will be next year .
left is right , up is down . very little makes sense anymore in football and life in general
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
Time will tell going forward, but the circumstances aligned where they hired a genius unicorn level coach at the perfect time for him to be able to bring 40 of his guys with him from JMU. So out of the box half the roster already knew his system day 1. Helped to get them to a great year 1. Gave him instant cred & that combined with some well heeled boosters were able to put the pieces together to dominate.
Rule changes certainly helped them given the timing of events but I don't think we can sell Cignetti short. Perhaps the most fundamentally sound football team in the modern era.
i think Indiana is a football powerhouse. They are 27-2 in the last two years which is by far the best. Defending National Champions. One of the favorites for next season. Have the best head coach and top financial support. I like their chances.
3 point girl
- texas
It sure helps to have Cuban's 20 million every year if he keeps it going.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Among other reasons to doubt that they can sustain quite this level of dominance, even the strategy as written is HIGHLY sensitive to the performance level and health of the one-and-done 5th year quarterbacks they gamble everything on.
Josh Hoover seems like a really solid bet, perhaps a bit more of a boom-or-bust gunslinger than Rourke or Mendoza were, but beyond just maybe not meshing with the offense in the same way, any QB is just one hit away from dropping out of the equation, and Indiana is not built to withstand that the way the SEC talent factories are.
Cignetti is a god-tier tactician and scout, but Indiana is the national champion because they got a 99.9th percentile outcome from the Mendoza transfer.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Yeah, Cignetti, the transfer portal, and the financial support a national championship brings will ensure Indiana remains good. I could see them as an Oregon type program, but I’m not sure I’m ready to anoint them Saban-level Alabama yet.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
They have a national title and Oregon doesn't. Crazy to say out loud.
But regardless, I don't think Saban-level Alabama is possible anymore. Nobody is going to make 9 title games in a 13 year span in an expanded CFP, and nobody is going 116-14 in the new SEC (or B1G).
Sure but we may never see that again. In the Saban era there was every incentive for the best players to coalesce around one program, particularly one program that showed a knack for getting guys drafted. Nowadays, the incentive is to go where they're willing to pay, and no program is going to have the juice to outbid everybody for everyone.
I do think Indiana will, as long as Cignetti is there, br as much in the mix as anyone. They have resources, a top notch staff, and can now sell themselves as a national championship winning program.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
I should have replied directly, but my Saban comment was more-so directed to STLini who said Indiana will be the number one football program in the country over the next 10 years.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
This sport will be unrecognizable in 10 years.
Same exact number here. Unless science turns the nutrients of red meat into green vegetables and 5 miles of jogging during the day, I could fall short. I'll be there in spirit.
27-2, 2 CFP appearances and a National Championship after 2 years and set up good for year 3 gets them off to a pretty good start.
You could both be right! One more natty might be enough to make IU the best program over that 10 year stretch, but would still not be Saban territory. Over the last 10 years ony 2 programs have won 2x and nobody has won 3x. Given how dominant Cignetti's 2 IU teams have been, it's almost hard to imagine him not winning again. And now his resources will be on another level entirely. Of course, this is sports and you never really can know. Plenty of examples where a breakout that looked like the start of something was actually the peak of a wave that had already crested.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Robert released a really good article today. It’s about Illinois, but touches on Indiana:
www.illiniboard.com
In it, he posted this picture. Which is projected draft picks on the current Indiana roster:
247 has Indiana ranked #72 in their talent composite rankings, which is good for last in the B1G.
To find 11 draft picks out of the lowest rated talent in the B1G is ridiculous talent evaluation.
I’m not sure any team in the country, including Indiana, could repeat that ever again.
For context, we have two possible draft picks and we’re #64 in the talent composite.
Indiana: 11 potential draft picks
Illinois: 2
But we also beat USC (8) and Tennessee (6).
How You Might Be Missing It
The people in that photo aren't missing it. The people in that photo are locked in. They understand how much fun it is in Champaign right now and what was accomplished this season. Other Illini fans – especially those online – appear to be missing it a bit? Maybe it's Indiana winning
www.illiniboard.com
In it, he posted this picture. Which is projected draft picks on the current Indiana roster:
247 has Indiana ranked #72 in their talent composite rankings, which is good for last in the B1G.
To find 11 draft picks out of the lowest rated talent in the B1G is ridiculous talent evaluation.
I’m not sure any team in the country, including Indiana, could repeat that ever again.
For context, we have two possible draft picks and we’re #64 in the talent composite.
Indiana: 11 potential draft picks
Illinois: 2
But we also beat USC (8) and Tennessee (6).
No idea where to post this but Scott Beatty is a total sellout. He kept trying to guilt Robert into feeling good for Indiana for winning the natty.
We. Love. No. Other.
He kept trying to make an analogy with being a Cub fan and clapping for an opposing pitcher for throwing a no hitter.
No no no.
Baseball ha 162 games and no recruiting or transfer portal. It's not even remotely the same.
College sports are a zero sum game. If Indiana does better and attracts better talent, we do worse.
We. Love. No. Other.
He kept trying to make an analogy with being a Cub fan and clapping for an opposing pitcher for throwing a no hitter.
No no no.
Baseball ha 162 games and no recruiting or transfer portal. It's not even remotely the same.
College sports are a zero sum game. If Indiana does better and attracts better talent, we do worse.
Illini man living in Georgia. Never heard of him. So, who cares.
1m4tr
Cliffmas
Smyrna, GA here.
One shining moment college football style.
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