The pressure to dominate in college football has reached a breaking point, and coaches are paying the price. Early-season firings show how desperate they are to win. First, Brent Pry had to bid goodbye to Virginia Tech, then DeShaun Foster was out of UCLA within one year, and the two most shocking firings of Sam Pittman and Mike Gundy just added more to it. But what’s surprising is why these programs are not eyeing an $8M HC who led his team to an 11-2 record in his very first season and is now at 5-0 this season.

The coach in question? Curt Cignetti. Cignetti completely transformed Indiana football last year, taking the Hoosiers from a 3–9 disappointment to a legitimate playoff contender. And his rapid success has ESPN’s Rece Davis wondering why struggling programs like Arkansas, Oklahoma State, and UCLA haven’t tried to lure him away. “But if there’s a big job that opens, a perceived big job, why would you just not go and see if Curt Cignetti would take the job? I don’t care that he’s 64. Coaches generally aren’t staying for 15 years anymore, anyway. So try to get six or seven really good years and have it in good shape—I mean, Google him. He’s going to win, you know,” he said on See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack.

That push makes sense, as Curt Cignetti is turning Indiana’s fate in real-time. Despite a 10-win regular season, Cignetti’s team was trashed because of their inability to fight against ranked opponents, but this year, he even broke that myth. As his Hoosiers proved their dominance with a 63-10 finish against Illinois. With a dominant ground game of 316 rushing yards, whereas Illinois was just held to 2 yards. That kind of performance sends a clear message that Cignetti and his team are here to rule.

Taking a program to an undefeated season that has been a bottom-tier team with just one Rose Bowl appearance in 1967 is not that straightforward. And the best part is in today’s college football, where one side, NIL, the transfer portal, and replacing coaching staff feel like luxuries, it’s bringing in talent where it’s needed. That’s exactly what Cignetti did for Indiana, and now you can understand clearly why Rece Davis wants him to take over a disastrous program and shape it into a powerhouse.

But the question is, who would want to leave a program after taking it to this level of success, right? Even Rece Davis is speaking about the same, drawing comparisons with Lane Kiffin’s situation. “The other thing is he might not want to do it. I mean, I think the way the sport is right now, you can win a lot of places. For instance, I don’t think it’s some foregone conclusion that if, you know, it’s the job everybody’s talking about, they offer it to Lane Kiffin. “Why would he take that job?” Davis pointed. That’s a straight fact; they were winning it all, but just their rookie mistakes in a few games cost them a playoff berth.

So, for now, Cignetti’s focused on his team’s success, as their real test is just around the corner.

Curt Cignetti’s team’s real test arrives

Indiana’s success in these five weeks is unmatched, as they have made a lasting impact after winning against Illinois. In that game, Curt Cignetti’s team looked unbeatable, and their gameplay showed it as they amassed 579 total yards while holding Illinois to just 161 yards, scoring two rushing touchdowns. However, their real test arrived last week, when they played against the Hawkeyes.

Indiana was 13-10 early in the fourth quarter against Iowa, but their offense went 6 for 15 on third downs; that means they just completed 13 passes in that game. Although they won the game, it revealed some inconsistencies. Despite that, the hopes are still pretty much alive, but upcoming opponents like Oregon won’t be nearly as forgiving if Indiana stalls in key moments.

This team won against Penn State and is still undefeated in the league. And let’s not forget Dan Lanning’s team beat them in the passing game and running game, and even had more sacks and tackles for loss than a team that has Jim Knowles. So, winning against them won’t be that straightforward, so now let’s wait and see which team shows up in Week 7.