In just two seasons with the Hoosiers, Curt Cignetti has defeated six top-10 opponents. Here's how that compares to other elite coaches in college football.
There seems to be an endless amount of statistics that display how impressive Curt Cignetti has been in two seasons at Indiana. One that stacks him up against elite coaches is especially notable. Cignetti has a 6-2 record against top-10 teams, including wins over Illinois, Oregon , Ohio State, Alabama and Miami and losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Compared to 12 coaches who are widely considered some of the best in college football, Cignetti has the best win percentage of all against top-10 teams. That's partly because Cignetti has a much smaller sample size than most of the list, as Kirby Smart more than quadruples Cignetti in total top-10 wins. But even coaches like Kalen DeBoer, Dan Lanning and Marcus Freeman have played a similar amount of games but have worse win percentages.Indiana coach Curt Cignetti during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Even more impressive is that all six of Cignetti's wins occurred during the 2025 season alone, as the Hoosiers went 16-0 and won the national championship. That run included five wins over coaches on the list above, including Lanning , Day in the Big Ten Championship, DeBoer in the Rose Bowl and Cristobal in the National Championship. Cignetti's six top-10 wins are also more than Freeman has in four seasons at Notre Dame, though Freeman knocked out Cignetti in the College Football Playoff last season. It's also more than Riley, Kiffin –– the most coveted coach this offseason –– and Franklin, who was fired by Penn State in large part because of this exact statistic. In the context of Indiana football history, Cignetti's resume stands out even more. Indiana had a 6-116-1 record against AP Top-10 opponents from 1899-2024 according toLooking ahead to next season, Indiana should have at least one opportunity in the regular season against a top-10 team. The Hoosiers host Ohio State on Oct. 17, a that was ranked No. 1 for most of the 2025 season until Indiana defeated them in the Big Ten Championship. There's also a decent chance Michigan, USC and Washington are ranked –– perhaps even in the top 10 –– when Indiana faces them next season. And of course, if the Hoosiers reach the College Football Playoff for a third straight season, they're almost guaranteed to face at least one top-10 opponent.Jack Ankony has been covering IU basketball and football with “Indiana Hoosiers on SI” since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Wisconsin Badgers' Mason Reiger already seeing his stock rise in new NFL mock draftsThe pre-draft process is just getting started for Wisconsin Badgers edge rusher Mason Reiger, but he is already boosting his stock for the NFL Draft.
Read more »
How to Make a Heart-Shaped Cake for Valentine's Day With Pans You Already HaveEvery February, the baking industrial complex wants you to believe you need a heart-shaped cake pan gathering dus in your cupboards for 364 days a year. But let's be real, you don't.
Read more »
Oscars Prediction Markets: Is the Best Director Race Already Won?Paul Thomas Anderson is the favorite for Best Director on Kalshi. Can Ryan Coogler or Chloé Zhao pull off an upset? Track the 2026 Oscar markets.
Read more »
Indiana Football Loses Key Assistant Coach to NFL JobOft praised by Curt Cignetti and Fernando Mendoza for his work in Indiana football's run to the national title, Chandler Whitmer is off to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Read more »
Netflix’s 'Vladimir' Is The Spicy Adaptation BookTok Is Already Buzzing AboutBased on the popular novel of the same name, 'Vladimir' is Netflix's steamy new limited series about fantasy and desire. Here's everything we know.
Read more »
Dyson just dropped the ‘slimmest vacuum ever’ and people are already calling a game-changerThe new PencilVac is built for modern cleaning habits — five-minute touch-ups instead of weekly deep cleans — with a lightweight design that wiggles around toys and pet bowls.
Read more »