The Mirror

The student-run newspaper of Northwood School in Lake Placid.

by: Kevin BetschPosted on:

College Football: How Indiana Did It

Illustration: EPSN.

The college football playoffs have finally come to a close after a long, hard-fought playoff. We saw blowout games, low-scoring games, and games that came down to the last 30 seconds. The playoffs featured teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes, and many other historically great football programs. The winners were…Indiana? When was the last time Notre Dame wasn’t the best football team in the state of Indiana? Indiana went from being a completely irrelevant football program to the best in the country in 2 years. They were great last year, but this year they took it to a whole new level, going 16-0. How is this possible?

The most obvious reason for the Hoosiers’ sudden rise to the top was the firing of their longtime head coach, Tom Allen, and the hiring of Curt Cignetti. Cignetti brought a winning culture to Indiana, something they haven’t felt in a long time. At his previous schools, he had already won 3 coach of the year awards and added 2 more during his 2 years at Indiana. Winning is a habit, and Cignetti is a pro at winning. When a reporter asked him what he does well as a coach, Cignetti’s response was brief but summed up his strengths. He said, “It’s pretty simple, I win… Google me.” His record at his prior schools shows this well at IUP. His record was 53-7 at Elon, 14-9 at JMU, and 27-2 at Indiana. Cignetti brings experience and a winning habit. If you compare Indiana’s roster to that of other teams, it doesn’t have the recruits Alabama or Georgia do. Indiana did not have a single 5-star football player on their roster, but it got it done through great coaching.

Another big reason is the transfer portal. Coach Cignetti brought 13 players from his JMU team to Indiana when he left JMU. Some notable players are Elijah Suratt and D’Angelo Ponds. Despite only standing at 5’9, Ponds made his argument as the top DB in all of college football this past season. Aside from the players Cignetti brought with him, over the two years he has coached Indiana, the team has brought in 36 transfers—most notably Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza played at the University of California, Berkeley, before transferring to Indiana for his senior season. This decision paid off for Mendoza, who quickly made a name for himself as the best quarterback in college football. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, which means he was the most valuable player in college football, and he also won the best quarterback award. Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards, adding 41 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions, solidifying himself in the number 1 spot in the upcoming NFL draft. Mendoza brought a 16-0 season, a Heisman trophy, a national championship, and a potential first overall pick in the NFL draft to Indiana. This was only possible through the transfer portal.

After seeing how Indiana revamped its program with great coaching and recruiting, you can’t argue that the transfer portal is a good thing for college football. It allows teams that have not been great to rebuild their programs. People are tired of the Alabamas and the Georgias who win the National Championship every year. Indiana’s team has a great story and should motivate many other college football programs.

The Northwood Mirror

The student-run newspaper of Northwood School in Lake Placid

Sports

College Football: How Indiana Did It

The college football playoffs have finally come to a close after a long, hard-fought playoff. We saw blowout…

By Kevin Betsch

Listen Read this article aloud

Illustration: EPSN.

The college football playoffs have finally come to a close after a long, hard-fought playoff. We saw blowout games, low-scoring games, and games that came down to the last 30 seconds. The playoffs featured teams like the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Miami Hurricanes, and many other historically great football programs. The winners were…Indiana? When was the last time Notre Dame wasn’t the best football team in the state of Indiana? Indiana went from being a completely irrelevant football program to the best in the country in 2 years. They were great last year, but this year they took it to a whole new level, going 16-0. How is this possible?

The most obvious reason for the Hoosiers’ sudden rise to the top was the firing of their longtime head coach, Tom Allen, and the hiring of Curt Cignetti. Cignetti brought a winning culture to Indiana, something they haven’t felt in a long time. At his previous schools, he had already won 3 coach of the year awards and added 2 more during his 2 years at Indiana. Winning is a habit, and Cignetti is a pro at winning. When a reporter asked him what he does well as a coach, Cignetti’s response was brief but summed up his strengths. He said, “It’s pretty simple, I win… Google me.” His record at his prior schools shows this well at IUP. His record was 53-7 at Elon, 14-9 at JMU, and 27-2 at Indiana. Cignetti brings experience and a winning habit. If you compare Indiana’s roster to that of other teams, it doesn’t have the recruits Alabama or Georgia do. Indiana did not have a single 5-star football player on their roster, but it got it done through great coaching.

Another big reason is the transfer portal. Coach Cignetti brought 13 players from his JMU team to Indiana when he left JMU. Some notable players are Elijah Suratt and D’Angelo Ponds. Despite only standing at 5’9, Ponds made his argument as the top DB in all of college football this past season. Aside from the players Cignetti brought with him, over the two years he has coached Indiana, the team has brought in 36 transfers—most notably Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza played at the University of California, Berkeley, before transferring to Indiana for his senior season. This decision paid off for Mendoza, who quickly made a name for himself as the best quarterback in college football. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy, which means he was the most valuable player in college football, and he also won the best quarterback award. Mendoza threw for 3,535 yards, adding 41 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions, solidifying himself in the number 1 spot in the upcoming NFL draft. Mendoza brought a 16-0 season, a Heisman trophy, a national championship, and a potential first overall pick in the NFL draft to Indiana. This was only possible through the transfer portal.

After seeing how Indiana revamped its program with great coaching and recruiting, you can’t argue that the transfer portal is a good thing for college football. It allows teams that have not been great to rebuild their programs. People are tired of the Alabamas and the Georgias who win the National Championship every year. Indiana’s team has a great story and should motivate many other college football programs.