From Lance:

Where do we begin with the comparisons to what Indiana Football has pulled off?  

From The Athletic
"Indiana’s turnaround is one of the most unlikely stories in American sports history."
They began the season with 715 losses, the most recorded by any team in the 156 years of college football. 
All-time win percentage: 41.3%.
1st outright Big Ten championship since 1945
1st Heisman Trophy winner in school history
From 1969-2023: 13 winning seasons. 
From 1994-2014: one bowl and
27 seasons prior to Curt Cignetti, they went only 113-204.
3 bowl wins 1899-this season. 3 bowl wins this season. 
38 winnings seasons over 126 years.

Indiana didn't break the bank in the NIL on their players as compared to other teams.

1 hour ago, theguru said:

Makes you wonder if he would've ever been given a chance to start at Miami had he gone there. Or would they have just put their next big recruit or transfer ahead of him. Everything happens for a reason. 

This is mostly off topic but I can't wait for Savage to take the field for the Hoosiers. 

30 minutes ago, MaddenCurse44 said:

Indiana didn't break the bank in the NIL on their players as compared to other teams.

What do you consider breaking the bank? And what are you basing that off of? 

Google AI says:

Indiana's football program spent heavily on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), with estimates placing their 2025 roster cost around $21.1 million, making them one of the nation's top spenders alongside programs like Miami. While official figures aren't released, these estimates reflect significant booster support, notably from Mark Cuban, to attract talent through the transfer portal and build a competitive team. 

Key Figures & Context:

$21.1 Million Estimate (2025): This figure from NIL-NCAA.com highlights substantial investment in player compensation for the 2025 season.

Comparison to Miami: Indiana's spending was comparable to Miami's, which was estimated at $24.4 million, showing IU's aggressive approach.

Booster Influence: Billionaire Mark Cuban and collectives like Hoosiers For Good and Hoosiers Connect are key drivers of this funding. 

Why the High Spending?

Transfer Portal Success: Significant funds were used to bring in top transfers, including Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, notes The Sporting News.

Roster Building: NIL has become a crucial factor in building and maintaining competitive rosters, as detailed by Athlon Sports and Yardbarker. 

Important Note:
These numbers are estimates, as college football programs don't publicly report their NIL spending, and figures can vary between sources, but all point to significant investment at Indiana. 

?Final AP Poll?

1 Indiana
2 Miami
3 Ole Miss
4 Oregon
5 Ohio State
6 Georgia
7 Texas Tech
8 Texas A&M
9 Alabama
10 Notre Dame
11 BYU
12 Texas
13 Oklahoma
14 Utah
15 Vanderbilt
16 Virginia
17 Iowa
18 Tulane
19 James Madison
20 USC
21 Michigan
22 Houston
23 Navy
24 UNT
25 TCU

2 hours ago, sportsfan41 said:

What do you consider breaking the bank? And what are you basing that off of? 

28th in spending money.

4 hours ago, 4 Quarters said:

You might be disappointed when you wake up from this dream. LOL

We are in new era of college football. Miami OH has some wealthy alumni. BYU has money. Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, CAL -  I could see money flow into NIL at schools like that. Absolutely it is highly unlikely they do what IU did, but the door to the impossible opened wider last night.

21 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

We are in new era of college football. Miami OH has some wealthy alumni. BYU has money. Stanford, Duke, Northwestern, CAL -  I could see money flow into NIL at schools like that. Absolutely it is highly unlikely they do what IU did, but the door to the impossible opened wider last night.

Right, no salary cap, it is only a matter of time before who knows what happens. ?

20 hours ago, 4 Quarters said:

You might be disappointed when you wake up from this dream. LOL

They exact same thing could have been said about Indiana up until two years ago. As people would have laughed and called people crazy if anyone suggest Indiana football would be a National Champion in football. 

If you have a billionaire alum who wakes up one day and says "let's go fund a great program"...anything can happen.

On 1/20/2026 at 10:18 AM, TheDeuce said:

Lexington.

Actually this became a thing in Morgantown. As a WVU grad, I've burnt several couches in my time in Morgantown.

I think in order to do what IU has done, with a lot of money and no 5-star players, you have to have a Cignetti who knows how to evaluate talent! Don't get me wrong he's a good coach and you can google him, because all he does is win, but I don't know if there is anyone in the game today, that evaluates talent any better than he does!