College football can be a bit stingy at times. Despite going 15-0 and beating Alabama and the Oregon Ducks, instead of getting credit or flowers, the college football world turned its back on Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers, hitting them with baseless accusations of using AI and other pony tricks to win games. These allegations had Indiana LB laughing in disbelief.

On January 14, Indiana Hoosiers senior linebacker Aiden Fisher spoke in the Don Croftcheck Team Room at Memorial Stadium and was asked about the team’s fast defensive starts, as the Hoosiers’ defense often makes early-impact plays such as picking off quarterbacks and getting sacks. In fact, Indiana picked off Dante Moore for a pick-six on the very first pass of one game and forced Ty Simpson to exit the Rose Bowl with a rib injury. Yet many around the college football world are sceptical.

“It’s just the way it’s played out,” Fisher said about the early defensive dominance with chuckles on his face. “I have seen all the stuff about different things for our team. It’s funny and kind of ridiculous to me, but we watch film, we study, we prepare.”

The senior linebacker made it pretty clear that their success doesn’t come from any kind of secret hack. But from the massive amount of work they put in behind the scenes. This whole saga started after Indiana’s defense looked so flawless in their playoff wins that some fans on X began theorizing they must be hacking into opponents’ practice film by using Veo or Pixellot (AI-powered practice camera systems).

To make it worse, some viral posts even claimed the team had infiltrated cloud-based systems to steal game plans. Fisher didn’t hesitate to shut that down, while also giving credit where it belongs – defensive coordinator Bryant Haines:

“I know a lot of people have put different things out. We just do a great job of preparing. We have hints. And then we have the best defensive coordinator in college football. So when you match those things up, you get off to fast starts as a defense.”

One big reason they look like they know what’s coming is the continuity of the defense. Many of the starters, like Fisher himself and D’Angelo Ponds, have played in Bryant Haines’ system for three full seasons, including one season at James Madison. Plus, it’s paying dividends now for Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers are ranked No. 2 in scoring defense at 11.1 points per game. And fourth in total defense at 260.9 yards per game this season.

Because they know the scheme from the inside, it’s pretty much muscle memory on the field for the Hoosiers’ defense. No wonder some people are mistaking preparation for inside information. End of the day, for Fisher and his teammates, these cheating rumors are just a sign that they’ve become a powerhouse people are afraid of.

The Hoosiers are so good that NFL teams have started circling around Curt Cignetti.

Curt Cignetti and NFL lore

Curt Cignetti has to be the hottest name in football right now in all of America. After leading the losingest team to its first-ever natty in just his second year of his tenure, NFL GMs and owners started paying attention.

With Mike Tomlin’s step down from Pittsburgh, analysts have been shouting from the rooftops that Cignetti’s “I win, Google me” attitude would be a perfect fit for a gritty franchise like Pittsburgh. ESPN’s Marcus Spears called Curt Cignetti an “enticing hire” and said he’s got that Steelers look in his DNA.

Like all things, there are some massive “keep away” signs for any pro team trying to hire him. Cignetti just signed a monster eight-year contract extension in October worth roughly $11.6 million a year. This puts him among the top three highest-paid coaches in college football. If an NFL team wanted to steal him away before November 2026, they’d likely have to cough up a $15 million buyout just to get him out of his deal in Bloomington after the natty.

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However, Cignetti seems genuinely happy where he is. He’s gone on the record saying he plans to retire at Indiana. And “couldn’t imagine leaving” the program he’s built into a national power.

For now, the Cignetti-to-the-NFL talk is mostly just excitement from media members who love his quick-fix coaching style. While teams like the Las Vegas Raiders got linked to him because of Fernando Mendoza, most insiders think it’s a long shot.