If it were just a year back in the calendar, you wouldn’t believe that the Hoosiers can rack up an undefeated season with only two games left on the card. Would you? We know the answer, right? But here comes the Curt Cignetti era in play, and suddenly you realize how viral I win. The ‘Google Me, I Win‘ quote makes absolute sense. Coach Cignetti said, and he delivered. There is no in-between. Indiana sits 10-0 for the first time in history, marking Cignetti’s breakout first year in Bloomington.

Their latest victory against North-western showed that the team is well equipped to play a no-mistake match-up in a time of dire need. Coach Cignetti’s feed might be flooded with good wishes and congratulations, but not only his feed, but his pocket will soon resemble the growth he has pulled out on the gridiron. I mean, just look at the lofty figures of his new contract deal.

If you’re an Indiana fan, you must agree that Curt Cignetti deserves the world as he is gearing up to host the first-round playoff game. Indiana regents realized the same and handed the quintessential coach his flower. Cignetti gave the nod to a brand new contract spanning up to 2032. It will guarantee him a whopping $8 million per annum, as well as an annual retention bonus of $1 million. Quite a deal! But wait, there is more to your shock.

A trusted source who dug the intel out told The Herald-Times the deal not only depicted a heavy paycheck but also promised additional resources to bolster up his assistant pool. The athletic department left no stone unturned to extend an offer to the veteran coach, with both parties talks brewing over a reworked deal since October.

“I am beyond appreciative of the tremendous commitment, confidence, and support from President Pam Whitten and Athletic Director Scott Dolson. Manette and I love Bloomington and are grateful for how the IU community has embraced us. I look forward to leading this outstanding program and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football,” Cignetti voiced his emotion in an immediate response after the marquee deal came into action.

There has been constant poking for Cignetti and his squad as the Hosiers failed to leave their mark on the AP Poll for back-to-back weeks. This week, they rose to No. 5 after weeks of snub, but the disrespect continued for coach Phenom in another major slip.

Coach Curt Cignetti continues to face disrespect from the CFB committee 

The coach had a knack for winning wherever he went. He spent a considerable time alongside Alabama’s legendary coach, Nick Saban, as the initial staff at Alabama and developed some priceless lessons on the coaching front. He never lost a season as head coach and stood at 52-9 in five seasons with James Madison. The 63-year-old also clinched the tag of 2023 Sun Belt Coach of the Year for his brilliance stewardship of the Dukes. This trend remained unchanged as he took his gift to Bloomington the next year. But despite all the good work, Indiana remained under the shadow of the CFB ranking system.

Joel Clatt called it out and bashed the committee for falling into brand bias. But coach Cignetti couldn’t care less. He said that his focus will be only on winning games and not on how the committee deems them eligible to rise in the AP polls.

On the top, he was nowhere in the recently released high-performing coach of the week. But again, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, ‘‘The success he has brought to Indiana football is shining a light on all that is amazing about Indiana University,” as Indiana president Pamela Whitten noted in a release. The sky is the only limit for Cignetti and the Hoosiers. For all the naysayers, wake up and smell the coffee!