Indiana is a football school now

Good morning. Welcome back to The Morning Win. I have something to admit. I’ve never seen Hoosiers.

This isn’t really something I’m ashamed of. From what I’ve heard, it’s a bit overrated. But I wanted to get that out the way before I go any further on how a peripheral awareness of the movie helped shape my perception of Indiana's passion for basketball. Plus, I'm sure it seems like something I probably should’ve made time for as a sports writer. Maybe another day.

My blindspots aside, the story of small-town Hickory High School winning a state title, inspired by the true story of Milan High School, helped center Indiana as a beacon of basketball purity for an entire generation. That its 1986 release came in the same period local legend Larry Bird was setting the NBA ablaze only added to the Hoosier hysteria. Nothing embodied that pride more than Indiana University, where Bob Knight’s teams won three national championships between 1976 and 1987. Indiana loves its basketball, and IU was the most nationally visible expression of that.

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It goes without saying, that was a long time ago. It’s been 26 years since Knight’s last season and 39 since that last title. Things are a bit different now. Indiana may still have pride in its basketball roots — the Pacers and Fever are doing OK these days — but after IU’s win over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship Monday, the Hoosiers are a football school now. Over time, the rest of us will increasingly view Indiana as a football state.

Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn. I'm admittedly too far removed from Indiana to speak on anything with 100 percent certainty. If I'm wrong, I’m sure the good people there will let me know. But judging by the direction of the respective programs at IU, there doesn't appear to be much to debate. Curt Cignetti's two CFP appearances in two years at Indiana are as many as the men’s basketball team has NCAA tournament appearances in the last 10 years. And the IU women's team has never won a title.

Cignetti, though, just pulled off one of the most unlikely title runs in college sports history. And after signing an eight-year extension to stay with Indiana through 2033, he appears to be just getting started on one of the sports most stunning turnarounds.

Before Cignetti arrived, the Hoosiers had the most losses in FBS history. They’d never won double-digit games, let alone dreamed of a championship. Cignetti just won double-digit games in back-to-back years, going 16-0 this season to match Yale’s 1894 single-season record. That's all before we get into Indiana's potential impact on college football at large, where other programs may adjust their expectations for what’s possible; if the Hoosiers can win a title, why can't we?

Look, I get it. Basketball has a richer history at the school and in the state of Indiana. But until Indiana basketball has a similar turnaround, and Cignetti's success tails off, the Hoosiers are a football school. They have the title to prove it. Going forward, that positions Indiana nationally as a football state in the minds of young people who don't even know what Hoosiers is.

A new AFC South rivalry?

While many of us were sleep, ESPN's Adam Schefter broke news that the Tennessee Titans were working to finalize a deal to make Robert Saleh their new head coach. And while I believe it to be a good move for the Titans, that's not the reason it's coming up now.

Saleh joining the Titans means he'll be in the same division as Jaguars head coach Liam Coen. And if you remember, those two had a heated dustup after the Jags and 49ers played earlier this season, stemming from some things that were said in the media. They don't seem to like each other very much.

“Keep my name out of your mouth,”

Liam Coen and Robert Saleh exchange after Jaguars win. Saleh used the phrase “legal sign stealing” in news conference last week in reference to Coen. pic.twitter.com/yYcjm1oHIP

— BrentDanStuartMarcelAlivia (@ActionSportsJax) September 29, 2025

HEAD FIN:Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley as coach

If those hard feelings remain -- and Saleh can actually improve the Titans -- these uber-competitive coaches will get up for these two games every year even more than they already do. Hopefully their teams follow suit. To add to the fun, the Texans are coached by another former Niners defensive coordinator, DeMeco Ryans. It should all make for some intense divisional football.

Quick hits: Jimmy Butler tears ACL ... Bills fire McDermott ... and more

• Jimmy Butler reportedly tore his ACL in Monday night's game, ending his season and likely ending the Warriors' season too.
• The head coach vacuum of a Chiefs-less NFL playoffs claimed another job Monday, as the Bills fired Sean McDermott. But one Bills veteran was in complete disagreement with the decision. Regardless, the Bills need a new coach. Here's seven candidates they could consider for the job.
• Joe Burrow hadn't tweeted in almost two years. The NFL playoff debates over what's considered a catch forced him to end that drought. The quarterback had something to say.
• One unaware couple at the national championship game became an instant meme after being caught on ESPN's 4K broadcast.

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