With Indiana’s resounding victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Curt Cignetti triggered a bonus in his contract. But there’s another clause that took effect as the Hoosiers head to the College Football Playoff semifinals. Cignetti’s new deal at Indiana, which the two sides announced in October 2025, includes a Good Faith Market Review clause. […]
With Indiana’s resounding victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Curt Cignetti triggered a bonus in his contract. But there’s another clause that took effect as the Hoosiers head to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Cignetti’s new deal at Indiana, which the two sides announced in October 2025, includes a Good Faith Market Review clause. It states if IU makes the CFP semifinal, the school must discuss a renegotiated contract with Cignetti that would bring his annual compensation to nothing less than the third-highest paid coach in college football.
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For reference, Cignetti’s salary went up to $11.6 million when he signed his new contract at Indiana. That currently puts him at No. 4 among the nation’s highest-paid coaches after Lane Kiffin agreed to a deal that will pay him $13 million at LSU. Kiffin’s salary is just behind Georgia coach Kirby Smart, who’s the highest-paid coach in the country at $13.3 million, and ahead of Ohio State’sRyan Day at $12.6 million.
According to the contract, Cignetti and Indiana have 120 days after the CFP semifinal to agree to the good faith review and negotiation. If the two sides don’t come to terms on a deal to make Cignetti no less than the third-highest paid coach in the country, “the University agrees to waive for the remaining Term of this Agreement any liquidated damages which would be due from Coach to the University should he subsequently terminate his employment at the University.”
In short, if the two sides don’t agree to those terms, Cignetti would not owe Indiana anything if he chose to leave for another job. For reference, he would owe $15 million if he was to resign to take a different coaching job before May 2026.
Curt Cignetti triggers bonus with Rose Bowl win
As part of the new deal, which took effect Dec. 1, Curt Cignetti also triggered multiple bonuses through Indiana’s College Football Playoff run. The Hoosiers’ sixth Big Ten victory secured a $150,000 bonus and he earned $1 million for winning the conference championship in addition to the $50,000 for becoming the league’s Coach of the Year.
Cignetti also had CFP bonuses in the deal, though they are not cumulative. With Thursday’s win against Alabama, he is set to earn $700,000 for making the semifinal round, and that figure would increase to $1 million if Indiana appears in the national championship. A victory in the title game would net Cignetti a $2 million bonus.
Indiana’s victory over Alabama continued Cignetti’s historic turnaround in Bloomington. The Hoosiers are now 14-0 this season and 25-2 under his watch as they get ready to take on Oregon.
Category: General Sports
