Sarkisian cites – Texas coach Steve Sarkisian referenced Curt Cignetti’s Indiana turnaround while discussing nonconference scheduling, crediting the “Indiana Way” and focusing on how other teams are adjusting schedules to chase more wins rather than pure strength of schedule.
When Texas coach Steve Sarkisian brought up Indiana this week, it wasn’t because anyone asked him directly about the Hoosiers. It was because the name Curt Cignetti has become part of the national conversation—especially around how teams should build their nonconference slates.
Sarkisian. speaking to Greg McElroy on Always College Football. praised what he called Cignetti’s “unbelievable job” at Indiana and described the results as impossible to ignore. He also credited the process—how Indiana has handled “the sixth-year seniors. the transfers. the veteran group. ” and how the team practices—saying the way Cignetti did it has been “somewhat unconventional.” But the part that landed in the middle of this scheduling debate was the other decision Sarkisian pointed to: Indiana’s schedule adjustment.
Sarkisian said. “Curt Cignetti… What he’s done the last two years. there’s not a guy in our profession that can’t say. ‘What an unbelievable job.’” Then he connected that success to a scheduling choice Cignetti publicly discussed before. In Sarkisian’s telling. it’s not just that Indiana won—it’s that Indiana changed how people think about how to win early.
Cignetti first burst into the debate about nonconference scheduling a year ago at the Big Ten Football media days in July. when he said Indiana had adjusted its nonconference schedule to adopt the “SEC philosophy” of playing nine games against Power 4 competition. Sarkisian’s comments now echoed that shift, with an edge that sounded both impressed and guarded.
“There’s a lot of ways to find the path to make it,” Sarkisian said. “We can’t want to adopt the ‘Indiana Way’ but then, not adopt all of the ‘Indiana Way.’ But other people now are starting to follow suit.”
He argued that coaches are paying attention to what they see in the standings. not just what they’ve been taught to prioritize. “So to Coach Cignetti’s credit. ” Sarkisian said. “everybody wants to impact our sport in some way. shape or form in a positive way. He’s impacting people because people now are starting to adjust their non-conference schedules because they’re seeing the value of another win as opposed to the value of the strength of your schedule.”.
What made Sarkisian’s reference sharper is that Indiana’s scheduling choices weren’t theoretical. Letting readers see the stakes requires going back to what was on the books and what changed.
Indiana was supposed to play Louisville away in 2024 and at home in 2025, but those games were canceled by Indiana in 2023 while Tom Allen was still head coach. The series had been scheduled years earlier, after the Big Ten mandated a Power 4 nonconference game.
The push-and-pull in this debate is that the change looks defensible—if you believe results matter more than purity—but it also raises the question of what “equity” even means. In the same conversation. Sarkisian said he wants a more balanced approach so the College Football Playoff selection process has clearer logic.
“How do we find equity in strength of schedule or reward those teams that are playing that strength of schedule?” Sarkisian said. “Because that’s what the public wants. The public wants to see these great games. … But yet. if the juice isn’t worth the squeeze at the end. that’s a big risk that we all are deciding to take to play that game.”.
There’s another wrinkle that ties the current discussion together: the sport’s own calendar is moving under everyone’s feet. After Cignetti made his “SEC philosophy” comment a year ago. the SEC announced that it was moving to a nine-game conference schedule while requiring that its teams play a Power 4 nonconference game. Now, with the SEC’s move landing at a mandatory 10 Power 4 games, the argument shifts again.
The record Indiana has built over the past two years has given the scheduling debate a new kind of pressure—one rooted in outcomes rather than intentions. After a 16-0 national championship run. the Hoosiers. as described here. beat 13 Power 4 teams. including six AP top-10 opponents. with a season that featured a “dream end-run” against Ohio State. Alabama. Oregon and Miami.
And even with the success, the “why” behind the schedule decisions remains a point of contention. Cignetti’s critics might ask whether Indiana merely benefited from good timing. Cignetti’s supporters could argue that it was precisely about avoiding unnecessary risk.
The scheduling details included here make clear Indiana’s situation wasn’t just a one-off. The piece notes that Indiana would go on to cancel a 2027/2028 home-and-home series against Virginia.
Sarkisian didn’t claim Indiana’s move was perfect or that other teams should copy it blindly. Instead, he framed the issue as a question of what fans will actually accept and what the postseason will reward.
While Cignetti’s posture was called “correct a year ago” in the debate described here—before the SEC’s latest structure—Sarkisian’s argument points toward a different standard now. With the SEC moving to a mandatory 10 Power 4 games. the argument presented is that the Big Ten should follow suit and require a Power 4 nonconference opponent.
That’s where this lands for the coaches and for the programs watching. Where the sport will end up is uncertain. but one thing is not: Cignetti is already at the center of the argument. and Sarkisian’s decision to bring him up without being asked shows just how thoroughly his decisions have reshaped what other coaches think they’re allowed to do.
In college football’s current churn, the “Cignetti Effect” has moved from a talking point to something closer to a template—one coaches can’t ignore when they plan their weeks, chase their wins, and try to understand what the playoff will ultimately reward.
Indiana Hoosiers Curt Cignetti Steve Sarkisian nonconference scheduling Big Ten SEC College Football Playoff Louisville power 4
So basically Indiana got good and everyone’s copying it? Cool.
Nonconference schedule debate is so dumb. Just play whoever and win. But I guess if Texas is bringing up Indiana then Indiana must’ve played somebody easy or something.
Wait, are they saying Steve Sarkisian was asked about Indiana, or he just randomly decided to talk about them? Because the article reads like it was his own point. Also “Indiana Way” sounds like a PR slogan lol. Sixth-year seniors and transfers?? Isn’t that just every team now?
This is why college football schedules are messed up now. They’re chasing “more wins” instead of strength of schedule, but then they act like it’s some science. I don’t even know what Indiana changed exactly, like did they swap one opponent or what? Sarkisian complimenting Cignetti feels like insider stuff, not really about fans. And the ‘unconventional’ practice part—sure, but everyone says that until they lose.