For the last few years, Kirby Smart was the uncrowned king of college football after Nick Saban stepped away. The résumé spoke for itself: 105–19 at Georgia, and a grip in the SEC. But with the 2025 curtains closing, that narrative is also coming to a close. The biggest reason? Curt Cignetti. He has forced his way into the conversation, and it’s not just talk. National analyst Joel Klatt flat-out suggested the throne may have changed hands.

“Kirby hasn’t even been in the Final Four in the last three years,” Joel Klatt said on the Next Round Podcast. “So, like that’s three years is a long time. That’s basically a whole cycle, almost a whole cycle of college players. We are approaching a roster full of kids at Georgia who have never even played in the Final Four.

Klatt went further, questioning two long-standing assumptions in the sport. “This narrative that the SEC is somehow vastly superior to the rest of college football, that’s dead…And so it leads into this idea of like, well, Kirby is the best coach in college football. Well, no, he’s not.” And he turned everyone’s attention to Cignetti.

“Curt Cignetti is doing more with less than anybody, and he’s doing it on a stage and at a pace right now that is fairly unprecedented. He did it in Indiana! Guys, Indiana is likely to win the national championship. That blows my mind.” Klatt’s point wasn’t just about Georgia’s postseason absences. It was about context too.

Kirby Smart, in 2016, walked into the Georgia program that already knew how to win. The Bulldogs already had an NFL-level army like Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Leonard Floyd, and Malcolm Mitchell. And the credit for which goes to strong recruiting under Mark Richt. Kirby Smart’s 8–5 debut season reflected a team that already had a high baseline. From there, Georgia took off, winning three SEC titles and six SEC East crowns. Cignetti didn’t get that luxury.

Curt Cignetti inherited a full-on rebuild at Indiana. The Hoosiers had little history of success and suffered through long stretches of losing seasons, most notably from 1992 to 2006. They lagged behind the rest of the Big Ten in spending, facilities, and overall commitment to football. That made it nearly impossible to keep pace with heavyweights like Ohio State and Michigan, let alone attract top recruits. Winning just wasn’t the expectation until Cignetti showed up.

He flipped the program that ranked third-last in the Big Ten overnight by bringing in 54 new players, including 30 transfers, many from his old James Madison program. And how the script flipped!

He led Indiana to a school-record 11 wins and its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. Then he somehow topped that in 2025. Cignetti went 12–0 in the regular season, winning the Big Ten for the first time since 1967, earning the No. 1 seed in the CFP, and taking the Hoosiers to their first national title game. He was even named Big Ten Coach of the Year. He has a no-nonsense approach, and that has taken him places. He has won everywhere from Division II, FCS, and now Power 4.

So, Cignetti has taken the team far from being hopeless to now, at a time when Indiana fans believe that a championship is within reach. That instant success is what sets him apart.

Let’s not jump to conclusions

All of that might be true, to a point, because there are still things Kirby Smart has done that Curt Cignetti hasn’t reached yet. For starters, championships matter. Smart has won two national titles (2021 and 2022), including a clean 15–0 season. Cignetti did take Indiana to the 2025 national championship game, which is incredible on its own. But he still needs that Natty home.

Fair or not, that ultimate trophy is still the gold standard when we talk about the “best” coach. There’s also the consistency factor. Smart didn’t just pop for a year or two. He’s built Georgia into a machine. Heading into 2026, he’s coming off nearly a decade of elite play, with six straight 11-plus win seasons before 2024. That kind of long-term dominance is something Cignetti’s rise hasn’t had time to match yet.

Top Stories

Jerry Jones Announces Retirement Plans as Dallas Cowboys Owner Makes Triple Decision on Coaching Hiring

Mike Tomlin Receives New Job Offer as Steelers Make Final Decision on Firing HC After Aaron Rodgers’ Fury – Report

Jordan Spieth Intervenes as Brooks Koepka Upsets PGA Tour Pros With ‘Return’ Announcement

“Rest in Peace, My Champ”: Evander Holyfield Joins Boxing World in Mourning Sugar Ray Leonard’s Personal Loss

Sean McDermott Announces Concerning Josh Allen News as Bills HC Confirms Double Setback Before Broncos Game

Chiefs Officially Cut Ties With 7 Players as Patrick Mahomes Pays the Price for Offensive Failures

Then there’s player development. Under Smart, Georgia has sent 20 first-round picks to the NFL. It’s more than the total number of losses he’s had as head coach. That’s wild. Cignetti, so far, has a much shorter list, with DL CJ West and QB Kurtis Rourke as legitimate draftable names, while others have gone the free-agent route. Now, a lot of Indiana’s NFL hope rests on Fernando Mendoza, who’s projected as a first-round pick by the Raiders.

And context matters. Smart has done all of this in the SEC, the deepest and most unforgiving conference in college football. There are no easy weeks, no breathers, and zero room for complacency. Every game is a physical grind, and the pressure is relentless. The media spotlight is massive, expectations are sky-high, and even a couple of losses can turn the heat up fast. Just ask Texas this season.