New Hoosier football coaches usually lose. Google it.

[82hoosier]

John Pont 2-8
Lee Corso. 2-9
Sam Wyche 3-8
Bill Mallory 0-11
Cam Cameron. 2-9
Gerry DiNardo. 3-9
Terry Hoeppner. 4-7
Bill Lynch 7-6
Kevin Wilson 1-11
Tom Allen. 5-7

Bill Lynch is the only Indiana coach in recent memory (since color television) that hit the ground running with a winning record. But he was not replacing coach that was fired.

CCC is the first new coach that can buy his players. In fact he can buy a whole new team in this new era of free agency. So that is something new.

A lot of talk about Indiana going to a bowl game in year one. What do you think?

 

[td75]

To be fair, most of those coaches didn't walk into a team that had this kind of talent/production. I seriously doubt any of those coaches had a Rourke waiting to be their QB or a running back room with pretty serious collegiate production across the board.

Many of those teams were VERY limited talent wise; I don't think that's Cignetti's situation at all.

 

[kmathum]

John Pont 2-8
Lee Corso. 2-9
Sam Wyche 3-8
Bill Mallory 0-11
Cam Cameron. 2-9
Gerry DiNardo. 3-9
Terry Hoeppner. 4-7
Bill Lynch 7-6
Kevin Wilson 1-11
Tom Allen. 5-7

Bill Lynch is the only Indiana coach in recent memory (since color television) that hit the ground running with a winning record. But he was not replacing coach that was fired.

CCC is the first new coach that can buy his players. In fact he can buy a whole new team in this new era of free agency. So that is something new.

A lot of talk about Indiana going to a bowl game in year one. What do you think?

most new coaches everywhere lose their first year. that's why they're there. the guy before them got canned for having a lousy team. except the powerhouses.

 

[Tammany Hall]

Cig may have a losing season, or not, but better to look at his program/roster and the schedule vs what other coaches did years ago with different players.

 

[vesuvius13]

John Pont 2-8
Lee Corso. 2-9
Sam Wyche 3-8
Bill Mallory 0-11
Cam Cameron. 2-9
Gerry DiNardo. 3-9
Terry Hoeppner. 4-7
Bill Lynch 7-6
Kevin Wilson 1-11
Tom Allen. 5-7

Bill Lynch is the only Indiana coach in recent memory (since color television) that hit the ground running with a winning record. But he was not replacing coach that was fired.

CCC is the first new coach that can buy his players. In fact he can buy a whole new team in this new era of free agency. So that is something new.

A lot of talk about Indiana going to a bowl game in year one. What do you think?

Coach Cignetti has gone into losing situations at every stop and turned the team around right away. As the money market says, past performance is not indicative of future results. All those coaches may have had losing first season, with one exception, but it doesn't mean coach Cignetti will suffer the same fate.

 

[TMFT]

I think he will likely have a winning record in 2024. I don't necessarily think that means the team will be "good," quality wise.

Northwestern can be good or really bad any given year, and have seemed to alternate between the two the last several years. 8-5, 1-11, 3-9, 7-2, 3-9 the last 5 years.

Maryland, Michigan State, & Nebraska are wildcards to me. I think UCLA will not be that good. I think Washington will be bad considering EVERYTHING they lost coming off the natty game. Even if they're good, they'll be far below where they were from losing DeBoer, Penix, & Odunze alone.

I certainly don't see any game in the first 9 that I would characterize as a major upset if IU won. In fact, I think last year's IU team would go through the first 9 with 6 or more wins. They were 1-5 last year in games that came down to the wire. Maybe Cignetti could have gotten them to flip that to 5-1. But this is a whole new team this year with the portal madness, so we'll see.

 

[OpenWheels]

Tom Allen was able to bring in talent. We're down now in some areas mostly on defense. That will hamper CCC a bit, what he was able to get first class was just OK to good, not great. He'll know even better what he needs next time and has more time to work on the class.

Fortunately, CCC appears to have improved the offense, and I am one of those who thinks that's the best way for underdogs to win, with offense. I already know from the spring game it'll be more fun and better run. No more timeouts prior to the first play from scrimmage...

So I don't care about W-L. But if he does over .500 I'll be happy. 8 wins (or more) very happy. A little luck with the bounces this year would be nice. I do expect at least 7 due to schedule. 8 possible. +8 would be gravy. Delicious gravy.

Then Cig will be off and running! May not win as much second year due to not as favorable a schedule, but we'll have a solid program going.

 

[bbh_42]

When I look at the last couple of years under Allen, how many games did we loose by less than a score? A Lot. Why? Lack of discipline. Look at CCC and how many close games he's won over the years. A lot. Why? His teams play with more discipline.

It just feels like a CCC coached team isn't going to beat itself in the final minutes because of blown coverages, stupid penalties that keep the defense on the field or giving up a TD because you're trying to strip the ball rather than tackle the runner.

I actually was encouraged by what I saw with the Spring "Game" practice. You can see how plays early in the drive set up a play later in the drive. Example, Tayven's first drive, trips left he hits that bubble screen to Cross that goes for like 15. Later in the drive, trips left the DB sees Cross peel back and goes to cover, Bamba slips by and is open for a nice completion. That pass to Bamba was set up by the earlier Pass to Cross. You can actually see if you rewatch how they were stacking plays which was very absent last year.

I'll hold my prediction until after the first game but I liked the building blocks I saw on Thursday night.

 

[Chriselli]

The eight games at home help. Also, buying out the Louisville game was humiliating for CTA in year nine but totally justified for CCC in year one.

 

[Hoosier Clarion]

Ya remember KW's 1st season QB's, OL and D?
Talk about slim pickens. Maybe rivaled only by Mallory's 1st season talent. Sickening.

 

[red hornet]

Ya remember KW's 1st season QB's, OL and D?
Talk about slim pickens. Maybe rivaled only by Mallory's 1st season talent. Sickening.

Mallory had talent....he just red-shirted the entire Freshman class his 1st yr. in order to get them better & preserve a year of scholarship. By 1987 & 88 that was the most dominant OL I've ever seen Indiana field.

 

[IU_Hickory]

Apples and Oranges now that we have the transfer portal and NIL.

Was it Dinardo that lost/booted so many players that it took years to get back to the scholarship limit because he could only bring in so many players per year?

I'm cautiously optimistic we can have a winning season but I wouldn't put money on any specific outcome happening.

 

[82hoosier]

Gerry DiNardo was screwed over by what must have been one of the most incompetent athletic departments in major college football. Cam Cameron was fired a few weeks after the season ended and then they waited another month before finally hiring DiNardo. He literally had a couple of weeks to put together a recruiting class and started out with no possibility of success.

 

[kmathum]

Gerry DiNardo was screwed over by what must have been one of the most incompetent athletic departments in major college football. Cam Cameron was fired a few weeks after the season ended and then they waited another month before finally hiring DiNardo. He literally had a couple of weeks to put together a recruiting class and started out with no possibility of success.

You said a mouthful. The primary failure of iu football for decades lies directly at the feet of a non-supportive athletic administration.

 

[OpenWheels]

I liked the direction Dinardo was going. Thought he was a legitimate coach heading toward making something decent out of a bag of dung. I really did.

Until Penn State.

 

[ESalum86]

I liked the direction Dinardo was going. Thought he was a legitimate coach heading toward making something decent out of a bag of dung. I really did.

Until Penn State.

Those four up the gut runs against the #1 run D in the country very nearly cost me my then four week old marriage. To this day my wife won't have anything to do with IU football.

 

[Hoosier Clarion]

Mallory had talent....he just red-shirted the entire Freshman class his 1st yr. in order to get them better & preserve a year of scholarship. By 1987 & 88 that was the most dominant OL I've ever seen Indiana field.

But he did that because they couldn't compete from their talent/skill level at the time.

 

[4IUSox2]

Mallory had talent....he just red-shirted the entire Freshman class his 1st yr. in order to get them better & preserve a year of scholarship. By 1987 & 88 that was the most dominant OL I've ever seen Indiana field.

Except for EJ. There was no keeping him off the field as he was the only true frosh ready to play talent-wise in ‘84.

 

[red hornet]

Was EJ already a R-FR. in 1984?

 

[4IUSox2]

I liked the direction Dinardo was going. Thought he was a legitimate coach heading toward making something decent out of a bag of dung. I really did.

Until Penn State.

So many tough, close losses that year in ‘04. Typical IU football luck when Lovecchio was having the game of his life at Illinois when he got hurt, IU blowing a 19-0 lead. IU scored on the opening KO and led until the last minute of the game. Dinardo chasing points early after a missed PAT didn’t help either. Blown leads vs MSU and PSU (mentioned above) at home were also kicks to the sack!! But at NU, again, where IU led most of the game until it took a doinked FG that bounced in for them to force OT, followed by a back pedaling Baszanez Hail Mary that 4 iu guys were around the defender only to have the lone wildcat come down with the ball. Unbelievable…unless you’ve been an IU football fan!!!

 

[4IUSox2]

Was EJ already a R-FR. in 1984?

No he was the only true freshman to play that season.

Was EJ already a R-FR. in 1984?

 

[IUNY]

John Pont 2-8
Lee Corso. 2-9
Sam Wyche 3-8
Bill Mallory 0-11
Cam Cameron. 2-9
Gerry DiNardo. 3-9
Terry Hoeppner. 4-7
Bill Lynch 7-6
Kevin Wilson 1-11
Tom Allen. 5-7

Bill Lynch is the only Indiana coach in recent memory (since color television) that hit the ground running with a winning record. But he was not replacing coach that was fired.

CCC is the first new coach that can buy his players. In fact he can buy a whole new team in this new era of free agency. So that is something new.

A lot of talk about Indiana going to a bowl game in year one. What do you think?

The first half of the schedule is very favorable. Six wins should be achievable. I thought the execution in the spring game was crisp. The running backs are tough and talented. I think this team has two upsets in it. I do think we need to add some more bulk up front, on both lines. Tayven Jackson's throws looked incredible, so it's not clear that Kurtis Rourke will get the nod. This Big Ten now, coming off a 15-0 Michigan national championship season, has surpassed the SEC top to bottom. Just adding Oregon is enough to tip it, let alone USC, Washington and UCLA. So the schedule will be even more brutal each year. Coach Cignetti is the epitome of a football coach, and he deserves some time. He is not just going to talk, he's going to follow through. You know why? Because he has set incredibly high standards for himself, not just for the players. It's one thing to talk; it's another to back it up, which he has everywhere he's coached.

 

[Bucket Getter]

No more timeouts prior to the first play from scrimmage...

😂😂😂 How exactly in the holy hell did that actually happen? And twice? OMG!!!!!

 

[Rags to Roses]

John Pont 2-8
Lee Corso. 2-9
Sam Wyche 3-8
Bill Mallory 0-11
Cam Cameron. 2-9
Gerry DiNardo. 3-9
Terry Hoeppner. 4-7
Bill Lynch 7-6
Kevin Wilson 1-11
Tom Allen. 5-7

These coaches didn’t have a transfer portal that provided players that could hit the field without sitting out a year.

 

[4NDANA]

Yes to what most have said here and if not mentioned..

- I belive CCC is coming with a more proven staff and IU has committed more to paying a staff.

- CCC's personality, love it or hate it, may be the the right type at the right time for a team that has some talent but seemed more than soft and undisciplined. Adding in players with some success and the right mindset will help. Portal factor as many pointed out.

- To some extent CCC doesn't have to compete with basketball for support.

- IU has tasted some relatively recent success, albeit little but some, so there is less of a stigma about IU football than others had to face. Sort of the inverse of the basketball expectations and fans view argument about "Blue Blood".

 

[Crossblock]

John Pont 2-8
Lee Corso. 2-9
Sam Wyche 3-8
Bill Mallory 0-11
Cam Cameron. 2-9
Gerry DiNardo. 3-9
Terry Hoeppner. 4-7
Bill Lynch 7-6
Kevin Wilson 1-11
Tom Allen. 5-7

Bill Lynch is the only Indiana coach in recent memory (since color television) that hit the ground running with a winning record. But he was not replacing coach that was fired.

CCC is the first new coach that can buy his players. In fact he can buy a whole new team in this new era of free agency. So that is something new.

A lot of talk about Indiana going to a bowl game in year one. What do you think?

I don't think that is unusual. Most Coaches need time to get their Players, system, and culture in place. Unless You are talking about a top 10 program, This is the norm. Even in the top programs, Coaches have had problems in early years (Lincoln Riley at USC, Brian kelley at LSU, and Steve Sarkasian in his first years at Texas,).

 

[82hoosier]

These coaches didn’t have a transfer portal that provided players that could hit the field without sitting out a year.

Good point.

 

[iueyedoc99]

These coaches didn’t have a transfer portal that provided players that could hit the field without sitting out a year.

Those were the good old days!