Following its 56-22 drumming of No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl, No. 1 Indiana is just one victory away from becoming the first ever team to finish a season with an unblemished 16-0 record.

A truly historic season will be on the line in the National Championship Game, when the Hoosiers clash against No. 10 Miami, the last at-large team into the College Football Playoff field. A victory for Indiana would give the Hoosiers their first ever National Championship, while Miami could clinch its first national title since 2001.

Ahead of the National Championship Game, David Pollack called out the extra media hype that Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is getting amid his team’s run to the game. While clarifying that he is indeed a fan of Cignetti, Pollack believes the second-year head coach is getting a little too much love.

“Right now, I would say when you’re talking about (Curt) Cignetti, as much as Marcus Freeman got a lot of pub, there’s no coach getting more pub than Cignetti,” Pollack said on the latest edition of ‘See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack‘. “Cignetti wrote on a napkin that ‘hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard’. Oh my God, that’s the greatest quote in the history of the world. We literally would be like ‘Cignetti’s the biggest genius we’ve ever seen’. That’s one thing, honestly, because I’m very much a contrarian. I’m really, really, tired of certain narratives.”

Curt Cignetti is 26-2 as Indiana’s head coach across two seasons

“But, the fact that I saw an ESPN article the other day that said Cignetti personally watches every transfer… No shiznit Sherlock,” Pollack continued. “So does every other head coach in college football. Like, they all watch ’em. You don’t think Kirby (Smart) down the road is going ‘nah, you got it. I trust you with my $2.5 million check I’m about to stroke.’ No shiznit. That part bothers me a bit. I love Cig and I think he’s been great for the sport. His confidence and his leadership. He’s got all of the right things.

“Here’s the thing though… this is what the media is going to do. Build, build, build until there’s a crack. Give me a crack and I’ll knock you back down a few pegs. That’s exactly what the media does.”

Cignetti has certainly more than earned the hype, as it took him just two seasons to complete one of the most impressive turnarounds in collegiate sports history. Indiana finished with a 3-9 (1-8) record in 2023, former head coach Tom Allen‘s final season in charge.

Cignetti was hired from James Madison and immediately led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff, finishing with an 11-2 record. That success has carried into this season, where Indiana is 15-0 with one game remaining. Across two seasons in Bloomington, Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to a 26-2 record.