""It was just an assumption that we were going to go to the national championship," Whitten said in an exclusive interview on the eve of the College Football Playoff title game against No. 10 Miami at Hard Rock Stadium. "That was the goal. And so, it's funny now when people say, 'Oh, aren't you so surprised and shocked that Indiana's in the national championship?' I don't want to be rude, but no. This was the goal.""
""Well, we're here because we prepared the right way and we have the right people in the staff and in the locker room, and we have tremendous support from our president and athletic director and we have a great fan base," Cignetti said at the CFP media day Saturday. "We have a plan and a process, and we have great leadership and good players, and we've been very consistent in terms of our play in all three phases, so we've met every challenge. So, the novelty of being here, to us, isn't there. We're here.""
Pamela Whitten became Indiana University president in 2021 and the university prioritized football, citing its large share of collegiate athletics revenue. Curt Cignetti was hired to rebuild a program that previously held the most losses in major college football history. Cignetti led Indiana to the program's first two 10-win seasons and an FBS-best 26-2 record over the past two seasons after a 9-27 stretch. Indiana will face No. 10 Miami at Hard Rock Stadium for the College Football Playoff national championship. The turnaround followed a defined plan, consistent three-phase play, leadership, staff support, and strong fan and athletic department backing.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]