Official 2025 Conference Championship Weekend thread

[Pompous Elitist]

What took him so long to get to D1 football? Late bloomer?

He probably didn’t interview well as a younger guy.. but he’s been a head coach since he was 50, now a young 64 (compared to the scarily aging Kirby Smart, anyway). There is no substitute for experience so maybe he knows what he wants and needs and can think on his feet. Whatever it is he’s doing something right.

 

[GopherGrit]

Yeah, all those JMU transfers getting huge bucks explains it all.

The jealousy of the GH rules is embarrassing.

He's done a fantastic coaching job. Incredible.
It's not Mark Cuban, it's not the schedule, it's not a "horseshoe up his ass." At least not primarily.

He's done a fantastic job of coaching.

So you're going to lie that it was a bunch of JMU guys out there beating Ohio State?

Like Mendoza, right?

 

[GopherGrit]

Nah, you're right. Everyone who watched one second of college football in 2024 knew whoever got the Cal Bears QB was winning the Big 10.

That's must be why Cignetti lost to NDSU all those times with JMU back in FCS.

He can see talent that no one else in football, in the country, is capable of seeing.

That must be it!

 

[GooningGopher]

Truly is bizarre to me if you think Cignetti knows or has figured out something about football (or even just college football) that no one else in the country has figured out.


If that were true, then he wouldn't have lost to NDSU all those times in FCS, he would've beaten Appalachian State in 2023 and gone to the conf champ game, and he would have beaten Ohio State in 2024 and gone to the conf champ game.


Good for him that he got gifted the Heisman QB that he didn't recruit or develop, in 2025. Neat

He still had to win the games??? The guy got IU to the playoff in two consecutive years.


Many teams with similar or better nil situations (see Auburn, LSU, Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Texas, etc.) did not accomplish this over the past two years.

 

[upnorthkid]

bye bye virginia. jmu and tulane in

 

[howeda7]

WTF was that play call Virginia?

 

[WindyCityGopher]

Down goes UVA!

 

[btowngopher]

Was he the top ranked QB available in the portal? A sure-fire, can't miss future Heisman winner?

I think he might’ve been actually.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

That's must be why Cignetti lost to NDSU all those times with JMU back in FCS.

He can see talent that no one else in football, in the country, is capable of seeing.

That must be it!

Maybe he learned something from those losses.

 

[upnorthkid]

WTF was that play call Virginia?

you don't like trick play when you just gutted through their defense with your standard offense last drive?

 

[WindyCityGopher]

If that was Packers-Seahawks a few years ago that would’ve been ruled a reception for Virginia.

 

[Gophers1992]

He still had to win the games??? The guy got IU to the playoff in two consecutive years.


Many teams with similar or better nil situations (see Auburn, LSU, Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Texas, etc.) did not accomplish this over the past two years.

Sure but do those programs have the resources and rich tradition that Indiana has?

 

[Gilthorp57]

Why would VA run that junk play in a OT???

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

WTF was that play call Virginia?

Weird desperation kinda play when ... don't need it.

 

[MNVCGUY]

lol.....Virginia QB leads them on a 96 yard TD drive so of course on first play of OT drive they have someone else throw the ball and he gets picked trying to throw it into double coverage.

Not sure what I watched....I guess it was entertaining....but damn those were two really average football teams and 7-5 Duke is the conference champ......why not.

 

[GopherGrit]

He still had to win the games??? The guy got IU to the playoff in two consecutive years.


Many teams with similar or better nil situations (see Auburn, LSU, Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Texas, etc.) did not accomplish this over the past two years.

Bold: having more talented players than almost every team you play against, will win you games.

That's not some football genius at the helm.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

I think he might’ve been actually.

No, he wasn't. UCLA dude who ended up at Tenn., Carson Beck and Mateer were rated higher.

 

[GopherGrit]

Maybe he learned something from those losses.

Sure he did: you can win 11 games a year if you play 11 teams that have inferior talent to yours.

 

[upnorthkid]

having manny diaz say why they should get into the playoffs with a straight face was amazing

 

[stocker08]

BWAAAHAHAHAHA! Manny Diaz pimping his 8-5 Duke team to the committee.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Oh good lord.....Gotta love a coach sticking up for his team but in no world is Duke a playoff team this year....they won a basketball conference....

 

[Nax5]

Maybe he learned something from those losses.

Yep. Several more years of experience. Probably a better coaching staff. There is a little bit of luck and chaos in life. But it takes way more than that to achieve the #1 rank in the country.

 

[upnorthkid]

football post interview: god love brothers

 

[GophersInIowa]

Yeah, all those JMU transfers getting huge bucks explains it all.

The jealousy of the GH rubes is embarrassing.

He's done a fantastic coaching job. Incredible.
It's not Mark Cuban, it's not the schedule, it's not a "horseshoe up his ass." At least not primarily.

He's done a fantastic job of coaching.

You’re impossible.

He has done a great job coaching. No one has said otherwise. But you’re being ridiculous if you don’t think NIL didn’t play a role. Without it they likely don’t land the guy that may win the Heisman.

Great coaching, great development and great transfers/NIL all came together for a phenomenal season.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Reported he got between $2 and $3 million

I’d think that’s ballpark standard for a starting QB for the school rev share portion but where are the private numbers reported at? I’ve never seen any specific NIL numbers, anywhere, except the Miami booster (or maybe TN) lawsuit and the real money being offered on the barrel for top qb recruit was a lot less. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I don’t think there’s any veracity at all to the NIL numbers, sadly. It would be nice to see some.

 

[btowngopher]

No, he wasn't. UCLA dude who ended up at Tenn., Carson Beck and Mateer were rated higher.

Close enough.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Basketball schools are dominating football.

With Duke winning, James Madison is also in. Cignetti’s work is all over the playoffs.

 

[WAGopher]

How so?

For one, when OSU was down 3 and they were 4th and 2, in the red zone, he went for it and they didn’t get either the first down or TD. Being down 3 the rest of the game influenced the play calling the rest of the way, and maybe later in the game, when it was 4th and 1, he would have gone for the easier conversion then instead of absolutely needing the 3 points, which the kicker missed. And it was psychologically a harder kick at that point in the game because it was pretty much do or die, and they died.

Another one was on the last drive they should have thrown for shorter chunks near the sideline, which could have moved them further down the field, which may have given the QB a better chance to throw a TD.

There were others too.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

I think he might’ve been actually.

https://247sports.com/season/2025-football/transferportalpositionranking/

 

[GopherGrit]

You’re impossible.

He has done a great job coaching. No one has said otherwise. But you’re being ridiculous if you don’t think NIL didn’t play a role. Without it they likely don’t land the guy that may win the Heisman.

Great coaching, great development and great transfers/NIL all came together for a phenomenal season.

Correct.


And brings home the point about Mendoza:

Cuban didn't write a $2M check for some bum that no one wanted.