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re: The real reason for Indiana’s success: old school still works.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:07 am to Timeoday
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:07 am to Timeoday
A key to IU success is that they are playing with 4th and 5th year players who have been with the same coach in the same system. I think k 25 of them transferred from JMU with Coach Cig.
They perform well against portal built teams with a bunch of new kids on the block!
They perform well against portal built teams with a bunch of new kids on the block!
1
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:17 am to send 8
quote:
The real reason for Indiana’s success
Their players are older and physically/mentally more mature than the other teams they play.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:19 am to send 8
block and tackle, run and hit, execute with discipline! Works every time!
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:20 am to LiftIT
You forgot to use the sarcasm font. Wisconsin 
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:26 am to send 8
Lots of 22-24 year old guys. Very well coached, but the players were not 4 and 5 star guys which meant they had to focus on being excellent at technique and execution of assignments. They don’t ever blow coverages or miss assignments. Their execution is close to flawless. Josh Williams was a guy like this for us a few years ago. Instead of having a couple of guys like that, they have a roster full.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:47 am to send 8
quote:It may not be a miracle or a new concept, but it's not replicable and unlikely to be repeatable. Even Cignetti is unlikely to repeat his success based on this unusual confluence of events.
The real reason for Indiana’s success: old school still works.
4 & 5 yr platers that have been developed within a solid system & culture. Just like all teams did back when freshman weren’t eligible. Down votes aplenty but this isn’t a miracle or a new concept
This post was edited on 1/10/26 at 11:35 am
Posted on 1/10/26 at 9:59 am to Timeoday
They beat the #2 team in the SEC 38-3.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:09 am to CEOTiger
Weak, very weak schedule. Same playbook Clemson had with their run. A very weak schedule left them fresh for the playoffs.
Any non-SEC team in the Top 12 would not have been in the Top 12 to end the season if they would of had to have played their regular season in the SEC.
Soft soft and more soft playing on the 19th of January. Don't worry. ESPN has to ride off the 2019 Tiger team to market the game.
Any non-SEC team in the Top 12 would not have been in the Top 12 to end the season if they would of had to have played their regular season in the SEC.
Soft soft and more soft playing on the 19th of January. Don't worry. ESPN has to ride off the 2019 Tiger team to market the game.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:14 am to Tiger2tiga
quote:
They beat the #2 team in the SEC 38-3.
That SEC team had just played another very strong SEC team the week before. It was by design to make the SEC teams play each other in the playoffs. It is a very corrupt design needed to spread the wealth to the demise of the most dominant conference in the history of college football.
Yep, they pay those coaches a lot of money to stay quiet.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:16 am to Timeoday
quote:
Real soft schedule helps as well.
They seem to be handling top teams really well now
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:16 am to send 8
Nothing correlates to victory more than the ability to run the ball and the ability to stop the run. Indiana dominates in the trenches.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:16 am to send 8
Is a team full of transfers really “old school?”
Is a team with a bunch of dudes in their mid twenties “old school?”
You guys are too romantic sometimes.
Is a team with a bunch of dudes in their mid twenties “old school?”
You guys are too romantic sometimes.
This post was edited on 1/10/26 at 10:22 am
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:34 am to Tiger2tiga
Yes they stomped the team that was #1 in SEC rank after the full season. I think that pretty much makes them better than anything the SEC had this year.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:34 am to send 8
quote:
With almost “zero “ 4 & 5 stars on the roster, Indiana plays phenomenal Team ball. They are physical, confident, & consistent in all phases of the game. Offensively you will see receivers & lineman blocking down fld. Ecetera. Defensively, you will see DB’s redirecting receivers in zone coverage and flawless technique in man. Why? 4 & 5 yr platers that have been developed within a solid system & culture. Just like all teams did back when freshman weren’t eligible. Down votes aplenty but this isn’t a miracle or a new concept
It does work, but you have to be pretty much perfect to build a team this way and win a title.
For example- look at Herb Brooks and the 1980 US Men’s Hockey Team. A different sport, but the same principle in team-building applies here. He took a lot of heat for not building a team from the “best available players,” but instead built one to play a particular style. That was not common at all for an Olympic tournament. His inclusion of Mike Eruzioni was considered laughable, but he ended up scoring one of the goals in their win vs the USSR. They fit and came together exactly how Brooks saw they could and beat one of the best hockey teams ever assembled.
The big outlier in the comparison with Indiana this year is that the USSR were the older, more seasoned players. They were all prime professional age. The US team were all college kids. But Brooks didn’t have the option to use pros at the time and the overall team construction mindset was still the same- build the best TEAM to play the style I coach.
One of the reasons I bring up Herb Brooks is that he was undoubtedly a GREAT coach. What he accomplished in 1980 is absolutely legendary. What most don’t remember is that he tried to duplicate the same process in 1984 and that US team gave up 21 goals, got smoked by the 2 best teams they played, and went 2-2-2 to finish 7th and out of the medal round. That doesn’t tarnish what Brooks did or how good of a coach he was. It just illustrates how difficult it can be to duplicate that 1980 magic.
A team like Indiana this year is similar. The way they have come together is really something, but that chemistry isn’t easy to duplicate with different groups of players. My guess is that Cignetti will pivot a little and use the prestige gained from this run to increase the overall talent level on his future Indiana teams while still using his overall team building philosophy.
This post was edited on 1/10/26 at 10:35 am
Posted on 1/10/26 at 10:39 am to send 8
Amen
Shout it from mtn top, brother!
Shout it from mtn top, brother!
Posted on 1/10/26 at 11:01 am to Tigertown in ATL
quote:That might be the average age of their OL or even their starters (though I doubt that). The average age of their roster is not 24. They have 40+ combined Fr-RSFr-So.
Average age of IU players. 23.8
This seems like a stat someone made up on the internet and is too hard to check/refute, so it's been taken less skeptically than it should.
This post was edited on 1/10/26 at 11:09 am
Posted on 1/10/26 at 11:04 am to send 8
yeah they’re old players so they’re physically and mentally mature
Posted on 1/10/26 at 11:28 am to send 8
The real reason is NIL/portal have leveled the playing field. Super power programs can no longer hoard talent.
Obviously Cignetti's system, discipline and coaching talent make them successful but they aren't beating teams that are as strong they were when OSU, Michigan, Bama, Georgia were so talented.
Obviously Cignetti's system, discipline and coaching talent make them successful but they aren't beating teams that are as strong they were when OSU, Michigan, Bama, Georgia were so talented.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 11:33 am to send 8
Majority of their roster is from the transfer portal. They just do an outstanding job of scouting.
Posted on 1/10/26 at 11:46 am to FWBTigah
quote:
They seem to be handling top teams really well now
They seem to be handling top teams with extremely soft regular season schedules really well now
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