New Game in Town, Indiana's Title Gives Hope to Others

By Jim Gazzolo

Indiana ended its fairytale rags-to-riches story in style Monday night, claiming the school’s first national championship in football.

Two years ago, any such Hollywood script would be ripped up before ever reaching a producer’s hands.

The Hoosiers were one of the worst programs in college football, with just three bowl victories over more than a century of competition. That is as messy as things can get. 

Even after last year’s stunning successes, nobody really took Indiana seriously. Few had heard of their new quarterback, and the roster was made up of good but far from 5-star recruits.

But Monday night, on the biggest of stages, the Hoosiers finished their season in perfect style, claiming the crown with a 27-21 victory over Miami on the Hurricanes’ home turf.

That ended a perfect 16-0 season. It also gave the Big Ten its third straight national championship with three different teams. By doing so, the conference has officially become the new king of the sport.

Still, you have to wonder how long it will take for Cinderella to become the wicked witch in the eyes of college fans, who look to poke holes into any and all feel-good stories. Likely, it won’t take long.

What is interesting about all this is how the new college playoffs have completely changed the game. Along with the transfer portal and NIL (name, image, and likeness) money, everything is new every year.

No longer can big programs hijack all the talent. Every school can become the next Indiana with the right coaching staff and big boosters. 

The Hoosiers also prove it's not about just buying the best players; others spent more. It is about creating a winning attitude by getting players who buy into the system, not just a paycheck.  

There are a lot of other schools, LSU included, that were proclaimed portal winners last summer only to end up spending more money to start over with the next big-name head coach.

Nobody had really heard of Curt Cignetti, the Indiana head coach, until last season, and he wasn’t the hot ticket in any coaching cycle. He was just the right choice.

Add the fact that the playoff field is only going to expand from the current format of 12, and you start to believe that we are entering an entirely new world of champions. 

That might be the best fact about the college game; no longer is it about the good ol’ boys.

Indiana proved there is room for new kids on the block.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS-Lake Charles.