College GameDay compares Indiana’s college football emergence to Butler in college basketball
On3 • • general
Key Points:
- Curt Cignetti led Indiana to its first-ever national football championship in just his second year as head coach, achieving a 27-21 victory over Miami despite having no five-star recruits on the roster.
- Indiana's championship run included wins over traditional powerhouses Alabama, Oregon, and Ohio State, marking an unprecedented achievement in college football history.
- Sports analyst Dan Wetzel compared Indiana's success to Brad Stevens' Butler basketball teams that made back-to-back national title appearances, highlighting the rarity of such an accomplishment in football.
- The transfer portal played a crucial role in Cignetti's ability to assemble a competitive team, bringing in 23 transfer players including Miami-rejected quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who contributed significantly to the championship win
