Sarkisian spotlights ‘Indiana Way’ as Texas plots playoff case

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian praised Curt Cignetti’s turnaround at Indiana—then warned that teams can’t copy only the parts that fit. His comments, posted Thursday, June 4, came as Texas looks ahead to a heavy 2026 slate with 10 Power Four games, setting up a f

When Steve Sarkisian talked about Indiana’s rebuild, he didn’t just offer praise. He added a warning—one that tells you where the real fight in college football is happening right now: on schedules, not storylines.

Sarkisian’s comments came Thursday, June 4, on the “Always College Football Podcast” with ESPN’s Greg McElroy. He praised Curt Cignetti and the job Indiana did over the last two years. calling it “unbelievable.” He also said Cignetti’s approach was “somewhat unconventional. ” crediting the way Indiana built with “the sixth-year seniors. ” “the transfers. ” “the veteran group. ” and the way they practice. Then Sarkisian turned to the piece that has become a flashpoint across the sport—Indiana’s nonconference scheduling.

“There’s a lot of ways to find the path to make it,” Sarkisian said. “Curt Cignetti, an amazing job at Indiana. What he’s done the last two years. there’s not a guy in our profession that can’t say. ‘What an unbelievable job.’ The way he did it has been somewhat unconventional with the sixth-year seniors. the transfers. the veteran group. the way they practice. All those things,” Sarkisian said. “But one thing in there, he adjusted their schedule, too. They’ve got a fresh team. they’re playing a lot of players early in the year. they’re a happy team.”.

He framed the “Indiana Way” as a deliberate choice: scheduling weaker nonconference opponents to build a better record. In his view, the lesson can’t be cherry-picked.

“We can’t. everybody. want to adopt the ‘Indiana Way’ but then. not adopt all of the ‘Indiana Way. ’” Sarkisian said. “But other people now are starting to follow suit. So to coach Cignetti’s credit. 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 nonconference schedules because they’re seeing the value of another win as opposed to the value of the strength of your schedule.”.

The timing lands after a season in which Indiana’s schedule decisions were either defended with receipts—or attacked as the wrong kind of gambit. The Hoosiers had been granted a berth to the 2024 College Football Playoff, and the outcome didn’t quiet the debate. Indiana lost at Notre Dame in convincing fashion. 27-17. a result Cignetti described as “ass kicked.” But the regular season still produced a run that fans couldn’t ignore.

Indiana went 3-0 against FIU, Western Illinois and Charlotte, with an average margin of victory of 45.3. The Hoosiers finished 11-1 and earned an at-large bid into the playoffs before that loss to the Irish. In earlier arguments about their schedule, Indiana’s defenders pointed to the way the nonconference slate was built. The Hoosiers beat Old Dominion. Indiana State and Western Illinois with an average margin of victory of 44.3. then opened Big Ten play with a 63-10 rout of No. 8 Illinois that sparked meme after meme of Illinois coach Bret Bielema looking defeated.

And when Big Ten media days arrived in Las Vegas—where scheduling is always part football and part policy—Indiana’s case was treated as critical. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti defended Indiana’s schedule. and Cignetti had facts to back up the Hoosiers’ approach compared to how the SEC scheduled its games. The debate at the time circled the number of Power Four opponents. shaped by the amount of league games each conference mandates.

Sarkisian’s praise for Cignetti comes with a context that’s impossible to miss: people are paying close attention to how quickly Indiana’s method can scale into national title credibility. For the record, Indiana won its Big Ten and went 16-0 en route to its first national championship.

The reason Sarkisian can talk about scheduling as if it’s strategy—while also sounding like he’s warning the sport not to oversimplify it—is that he’s also thinking about his own résumé.

Texas finished 11-2 in 2024 to make the CFP. Last season it went 9-3 and missed out. In the Big 12 in 2023, Texas went 12-1 before losing to Washington in the four-team CFP. Sarkisian’s case is familiar: a couple of swings can decide who gets included. and those swings often start in nonconference games.

He’s also not operating in a vacuum. Texas’ last two seasons included a specific early loss that still gets referenced in scheduling arguments: Texas lost 14-7 to open last season at Ohio State. The piece of the timeline that lingers is what might have been—going 10-2 with that marquee win would have been more tempting for the CFP committee.

This year, the dynamic shifted again because the SEC restructured its conference scheduling. Sarkisian is laying groundwork because the Longhorns’ next set of circumstances is clear and high-stakes.

For Texas, Sarkisian’s schedule concerns aren’t abstract. The Longhorns are scheduled to play 10 Power Four games in 2026. That includes the return game from Ohio State on Sept. 12, followed by nine SEC games. If Texas makes the SEC championship game, then it adds another game to that résumé-building equation.

Taken together. Sarkisian’s comments—praising Indiana while insisting nobody can adopt only the parts they like—fit the moment college football always hits when playoff inclusion starts feeling less about merit and more about infrastructure. Win enough games, and the committee tends to follow. Lose early, and the margin shrinks fast.

Sarkisian’s point, and his posture, is that the “value of another win” can matter as much as the “strength of your schedule.” Indiana did it. “Google it,” Sarkisian said, insisting the results speak for themselves.

In a sport where schedules are negotiated like strategy and debated like morality. the “Indiana Way” isn’t just a slogan—it’s a blueprint people are now trying to copy. The question for Texas is whether the blueprint works the same way when the spotlight turns toward its own Power Four-heavy 2026 path.

Steve Sarkisian Curt Cignetti Indiana football Texas football Indiana Way College Football Playoff scheduling Power Four Big Ten media days