Curt Cignetti is proving to be a nightmare for college football. Not for the sport, but for his peers who have long proclaimed that a national championship requires a blue-chip roster as its prerequisite. But the former JMU coach has shattered that narrative, putting his contemporaries under immediate pressure to succeed.

On Tuesday, analyst and former Michigan coach Connor Stalion, who’s known for his controversial sign-stealing scandal, called for Curt Cignetti to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

“Cignetti should be inducted into the HOF tonight,” he wrote.

The former JMU head coach rebuilt his entire roster from the ground up. A locker room that dominantly featured the Group of Five players, including the 13 players who followed him from James Madison. The crux of his recruiting philosophy focused on veterans, building his locker room around former three-star or zero-star prospects.

Within two years, he took Indiana, a program that had never made headlines for its football chops, to its first national championship trophy and…

College football took a bow.

They say the third time’s a charm, and Indiana’s national championship win has solidified the Big Ten’s claim to dominance. Earlier, Michigan and Ohio State’s national championship victory has spurred the conversation that the Big Ten is rising.

What we see is a pattern emerging, cementing the Big Ten as the new conference, setting the standards. Veteran analyst Paul Finebaum may feel disappointed, but the once-powerful SEC schools are struggling to make a big impact on the stage. Alabama and Georgia were close this season, but faltered on their way to the national championship game.

Auburn, Florida, and LSU had their dominant eras. But the last few years have been tough for them. After Ed Orgeron’s departure in 2019, LSU went through a head coaching crisis. The Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers had a similar journey, marked by constant leadership changes that led to instability and a financial crisis.

However, the crux of their rise does not hinge on the SEC’s decline. But rather on the emergence of a level-headed ground that has led to the Big Ten’s rise. The NIL and transfer portal have contributed to that as well. Players are no longer looking to sit as a backup at a blue-blood program. They want immediate opportunities. The NIL race has already increased the competition to land elite talent.

“They used to be able to collect and hold on to all of the talent, and can no longer do that,” as The Athletic’s Chris Vannini told Boardroom. “You’re not going to sign a five-star running back, and he waits two years on the bench for his time to then play. He’s going to go somewhere else where he can play.”

That’s what Indiana capitalized on. Cignetti is known for his recruiting chops, a “meticulous” eye to gauge talent, as Adam Rittenberg put it. In Indiana’s story, “production over potential” made the impact.

With Indiana’s success, Dan Lanning’s Oregon comes under immense pressure. Stalion’s departure came under the scrutiny of the sign-stealing scandal at Michigan. Since then, he has been barred from the collegiate football circuit because of an eight-year show-cause order. Albeit he hasn’t shied away from wanting to coach at Michigan again, he has issued an ultimatum for the Wolverines’ Big Ten rival.

Connor Stalions gives a clear ultimatum to Curt Cignetti’s Big Ten rival

The confetti from the national championship has yet to settle, and Curt Cignetti’s success is already rewriting the rules. The last three years have seen the SEC decline, with the Big Ten emerging as the new powerhouse. On paper, it’s all rosy, but not for the Oregon Ducks. The Big Ten’s dominance has put immediate pressure on Dan Lanning to succeed with an ultimatum already coming their way.

“Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana,” former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions writes on X. “Pressure’s on next year, Oregon.”

Quite frankly, the odds look in Oregon’s favor. Analyst Mike Golic Jr. shared a screenshot of the 2026 national championship odds, and the Ducks have the fifth-best odds to win. In the last two seasons, no program has a better winning percentage (38-5 record) than the Ducks have. Among the Big Ten, Oregon had reached the semi-finals and was closest to the national championship, excluding Indiana, obviously. Naturally, the pressure to level up and win the Natty next season has increased fourfold.

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