The Hook: Indiana Has Arrived, James Franklin Fired, and Simpson Shines for the Tide
Indiana Has Arrived
Last year, Indiana’s critics were quick to point out that only two of their games in the 2024 season were against ranked opponents, both of which were decisive losses. The critics also pointed out that their 63-10 dismantling of Illinois came as a result of the Illini being overrated.
On Saturday the critics were silent as #7 Indiana stormed into Eugene, OR and knocked off the #3 Oregon Ducks 30-20. Head Coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers showed that last year was far from a fluke, and for the first time in history, Indiana is a top 3 ranked team.
James Franklin Fired
Unranked Penn State hoped to recover from their road loss to UCLA with a home game against Northwestern this week, but the Wildcats had other plans. Less than a month ago, Penn State was the #2 team in the country and looked set to avenge their CFP semi-final loss. Now at 3-3 (0-3 in the Big Ten), HC James Franklin has been fired.
With the firing, the University owes Franklin $49 million in buyout money, enough to purchase 100 pints from Penn State’s famous Berkey creamery for each person in State College, PA.
Simpson Shines for the Tide
Ty Simpson was 50-1 to win the Heisman after Alabama’s loss against Florida State. Now after 200 yards and 3 TDs through the air in a 27-24 road win against #14 Missouri, he’s just behind Miami’s Carson Beck as the favorite (+360 and +370 on DraftKings for Beck and Simpson respectively). There’s still a lot of the season left, but it looks like 2025 will be the first year ending in 5 in which the heisman isn’t awarded to a running back. RIP (potentially) to a great stat.
The Ladder: Curt Cignetti and the Case for the Villain
Great stories need great villains.
In my opinion, Darth Vader is a much more epic character than Luke Skywalker, Batman isn’t Batman without the Joker, and Michigan’s 2024 Rose Bowl win carried more weight due to it being against Alabama.
In the most recent era of college football, Nick Saban’s Alabama teams were the clear heels of the sport. They had a run of sustained success that may never be replicated in the post-transfer portal/NIL era of the sport. Saban’s retirement after that Rose Bowl has not only left an obvious power vacuum for college football’s top dog, it also left one for college football’s villain.
This past weekend I think the latter was finally filled.
Indiana doesn’t cheat, have insane NIL resources, and their roster is made of low-start recruits and G5 transfers. Their meteoric rise into college football’s top ranks should be one of the most heartwarming underdog stories in all of sports in recent memory, but it’s not, thanks to 2nd year Head Coach Curt Cignetti.
Cignetti knows there’s one thing that is almost more important than winning in CFB: narrative. He’s extremely competitive, outspoken, and fueled by ego; many fans think that’s a bad thing and his antics have no place in the sport. I 100% disagree.
While I don’t condone yelling at a player for not being tough enough after an injury, I admire the way (for better or worse) the public now knows and is talking about this Indiana team. In sports, being a hater is oftentimes more fun than being a fan, and for me, this is personal as my brother is an IU alum and my sister is currently a student; both of whom are vocal fans.
Despite this, I want IU to continue to do well and I want Cignetti to bring home a Big Ten title. Why? Because when the villain fails, as it often does, I want it to be on the biggest stage possible.