College football this season has been wild. Upsets, underdogs, and Cinderella stories all rolled into one big chaotic masterpiece. And at the center of it? A head coach who dragged his team from the depths of irrelevance to the brink of greatness. You’d think we’re talking about Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, right? Well, eleven wins, a playoff berth, and a Big Ten Coach of the Year title—he basically made Indiana football a household name. But hold on to your nachos, folks, because when Adam Breneman, former All-American turned analyst, hopped on College Football Power Hour, he threw a curveball nobody saw it coming.

Now, don’t get it twisted—Cignetti’s resume this year is straight-fire. Indiana went 11-2, dropped Michigan like a bad habit, and averaged over 43 points a game while locking down opposing offenses like Fort Knox. That 77-3 smackdown over Western Illinois? Whew boy, embarrassing. And let’s not sleep on the accolades!

Big 10 Coach of the Year and flipped that $4 million contract to an $8 million contract all within 1 year at Bloomington. That’s pretty darn good for a 63-year-old HC who made it to the playoffs in his first season. Sure, Indiana’s Cinderella run ended against Notre Dame, but even then, Cignetti had the Hoosiers punching way above their weight. But Breneman? The man raved about another coach. Brace yourself—it wasn’t an SEC or Big Ten powerhouse.

It’s a coach from an independent school! “My powerhouse is Marcus Freeman. This guy is a star in college football. Not nearly getting enough credit,” Breneman said. Then he spoke about the Week 2 upset against Northern Illinois. “If Notre Dame had not lost that fluke game to NIU, they’d be the story of the season. And they should be. Everyone in the county has one fluke game.”

Gotta admit, losing to the Northern Illinois Huskies is crazy work—ain’t gonna lie, they literally turned that L into mass fuel. “The way they bounce back. That’s one impressive bounce back in college football as long as I remember.” Adam Breneman preached. Since that L, Marcus Freeman and his boys are literally untouchable.

Freeman’s squad didn’t just bounce back—they leveled up. Notre Dame ran through the playoff gauntlet like a team possessed. Smashing Indiana 27-17 in the opener? Check. Dismantling Georgia’s brick-wall defense 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl? Double check. Freeman turned doubters into believers and put the Irish on a collision course with the Orange Bowl. His defense? Straight-up ruthless.

Best run D in the game, while his offense burned through defenses like they were Swiss cheese. And the players? They don’t just play for Notre Dame—they play for Marcus Freeman. The locker rooms loved Freeman when he got appointed as HC. Adam Breneman said, “I remember when he got that job, when AD (Pete Bevacqua) told the players in the weight room, they were hiring Marcus freeman after that long search process. You saw the emotion the players had, and you saw how excited players were in the locker room. Man, you can see how that team plays for their head coach now and why they were so excited, this is a Notre Dame team that is battling for their head coach and that’s a special relationship in college football, and it’s really really tough to beat.”

Marcus Freeman or Curt Cignetti—who’s the real MVP coach this season?

The debate is heating up, no doubt. Cignetti turned Indiana into a legit Big 10 contender. But let’s not front—Freeman’s work is next level. “Notre Dame is hard, hard to have your first head coaching job,” Breneman reminded us. “And it’s been unbelievable what Freeman has done.” This is a man who stepped into one of the most pressure-cooked jobs in the country after Brian Kelly dipped into LSU. Freeman didn’t just survive—he thrived. A 12-1 record? Beating top-ranked Georgia? And let’s not forget, his squad literally rides for him like family.

So who takes the crown? Cignetti’s Indiana might be the feel-good story, but Freeman’s Notre Dame is the monster that came back to life. Even Freeman gave big props to Indiana, calling them a “great football team that wouldn’t quit.” But when it comes to owning on both sides of the field and the playoffs, Notre Dame’s got the edge and dub over Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers, so no-brainer.

Now, with the Orange Bowl looming against James Franklin’s Penn State, Freeman has the chance to snap a 36-year championship drought. If he pulls it off? Cignetti might need to Google Freeman’s name real quick. Will Freeman cement his legacy, or will the football gods have another twist up their sleeves?