-
Dan Wetzel
This week, an athletic director at one university was on the lookout for any suspicious ticket transactions that could indicate a Connor Stalions-type advanced scouting scenario. At a different institution, a program was reviewing its headset communication practices.
Numerous others in the college sports landscape, including administrators and chatty coaches, are sharing information, stories, and conspiracy theories. Cyber hacking? Military-grade eavesdropping devices?
1 Related
College football has paid the greatest tribute to Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers by diving into the very question that was already circulating on social media.
Are they cheating?
No one is going on record with their doubts, and it appears that no one has any actual evidence or even hints that might indicate proof. There’s not even a worthwhile angle to explore. The previous reviews turned up empty. There are no threads to pull here.
Paranoia runs rampant among the coaching ranks, however. Egos too.
This is a sport that disdains newcomers and regards fresh faces with skepticism. Traditionally, it has only recognized success from a select few teams in particular areas.
The Hoosiers from Bloomington do not belong to that group. They were once the most unsuccessful program in Power 4 football. Then they appointed a coach with experience in Division II, FCS, and Sun Belt football.
Since then, they have achieved an impressive 27-2 record. This includes a perfect 15-0 streak this year heading into Monday’s national championship match against Miami, where they are favored by 8.5 points.
Indiana isn’t merely good; it’s overpowering, having won its two playoff matches against Alabama and Oregon by a total of 69 points.
And thus… here comes the skepticism, the cynicism, the mistrust. The crosshairs aimed at them are entirely unwarranted yet undeniably flattering.
Indiana ought to use both as additional fuel — a source of motivation and a confidence boost.
«It’s just crazy how some of this stuff surfaces,» tight end Riley Nowakowski remarked on «Big Ten This Morning» on Sirius/XM Wednesday. «But we’ll accept it. … If people are saying you’re cheating, then it probably means you’re doing something quite well.»
College athletics tends to undermine what it fears, and Cignetti’s squad has generated plenty of that sentiment.
There have been a few tense moments this season, particularly at Penn State and against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. The Hoosiers successfully navigated those challenges. They have mostly dominated their other rivals.
IU has outscored its rivals 639 to 166. It has scored over five times as many touchdowns as its opponents (84-16) and boasts almost three times as many rushing yards (3,275-1,125). The team has forced 30 turnovers, including two pick-sixes. The Hoosiers currently lead the nation in third-down conversion rates, red zone defense, rank fifth in penalties per game, and second in penalty yards per game. We could elaborate further.
This is typically the mark of an extraordinarily well-coached squad. The 64-year-old Cignetti, a former assistant to Nick Saban, is a seasoned, invigorated coach, focused on processes and standards and demanding excellence.
He never cared that Indiana had not found success before his arrival. He coached from day one as if he were at Alabama.
But he is not at Alabama; he’s at Indiana. Consequently, the Hoosiers must contend with the unjust and unfounded, random speculations from anonymous sources and the disbelief that such success is achievable.
So be it. It’s one last hurdle to overcome.
Cignetti famously accepted the position and then took the mic at an IU basketball event, proclaiming, «Purdue sucks, as do Michigan and Ohio State.»
It was hilariously audacious. No one is laughing anymore.
Cignetti has adeptly navigated the transfer portal, bringing a wealth of undervalued players from James Madison and outmaneuvering Miami for Miami native Fernando Mendoza. He identifies players with a chip on their shoulder and a determination to excel. He attracts dreamers but also achievers.
This marks a new chapter in the sport. New personalities are welcomed.
His players are better equipped, better trained, more aware, and thoroughly motivated. And even if Indiana excels in scouting (and then communicating that to the athletes) compared to others, that merely signifies distinction, not deceit.
If the rest of the sporting world cannot handle Indiana, then that’s their dilemma. Whisper all you want, but without concrete evidence, it simply dissipates into nothingness.
Meanwhile, Indiana is competing in the national championship, with an extra motivation to prove to the world that it deserves to be there.
