No, Indiana football hasn't really beaten anyone, but what if it's for real?

Indiana dropped 35 first-half points connected Illinois connected Saturday night, a amusement of unit against a top-10 hostile antecedently hyped for its defense. Thirty minutes of domination had turned the erstwhile mausoleum known arsenic IU's Memorial Stadium into a operation of delirium and disbelief.

Heading to the locker country aft his squad had reeled disconnected 4 touchdown drives of astatine slightest 54 yards, Hoosiers manager Curt Cignetti was asked by a broadcast reporter: "What much bash you privation to spot from your offense?"

"More points," Cignetti said with a smile.

Cignetti talks arsenic if he's trying to merchantability slogan T-shirts. ("I win. Google me.") He calls plays arsenic if helium thinks helium tin people 100. On his near hand, he'd written "attack," arsenic if helium ever needed the reminder. He looks aggravated fractional the clip and perplexed the remainder that not everyone shares his expectations for brilliance, adjacent astatine a spot that seldom achieved competence earlier his accomplishment 2 seasons ago.

In this case, it was a 63-10 annihilation of the No. 9-ranked Illini, a prime-time beatdown that featured 579 yards of full offense, 7 sacks by the defence and 39 minutes, 42 seconds of shot possession.

"We got done what we wanted to get done," helium said.

Cignetti didn't get a powerfulness league occupation until helium was 62. As such, the present 64-year-old has nary clip for thing different than everything; fto unsocial what anyone other thinks Indiana is oregon should be.

Nice story. Fun run. You haven't truly beaten anyone.

College shot keeps waiting for the Bloomington balloon to pop.

What if it doesn't?

What if Indiana really employs the champion coach, oregon astatine slightest the champion for its situation, successful assemblage football? What if past season's playoff tally wasn't immoderate feel-good tale, but alternatively the commencement of bigger and bigger and bigger?

What is unfolding successful Indiana is 1 of the top -- and surely fastest -- turnarounds successful the sport's history. It's the enactment of not simply a feline who seemingly knew it would hap but 1 who has small patience for those who didn't spot it coming.

Yes, Cignetti inactive needs a truly large triumph -- Indiana plays astatine Oregon and Penn State this play -- fto unsocial postseason success. Still, that's however heavy down the coaching checklist helium has created successful little than a play and a half.

At a schoolhouse that averaged 4.1 victories a play successful the 3 decades earlier his arrival, Cignetti is present 15-2, and those 2 losses came connected the roadworthy against past season's nationalist champion (Ohio State) and runner-up (Notre Dame).

All offseason, Illinois was dubbed this season's Indiana. As IU's societal media noted postgame, it turns retired Indiana is this season's Indiana. Actually, the Hoosiers are better, deeper and much talented (including astatine backmost with Cal transportation Fernando Mendoza).

"At a nonaccomplishment for words," Illinois manager Bret Bielema, who is beauteous overmuch ne'er astatine a nonaccomplishment for words, said aft the rout loss. "I mean, I've ne'er been a portion of thing similar that. The happening that jumped retired to maine arsenic we began to unfold successful the 2nd fractional was we conscionable didn't person answers for what they were doing."

How often person you heard a seasoned manager with a prime squad accidental that?

Cignetti spent 28 years arsenic an assistant, the last 4 astatine Alabama nether Nick Saban. His accidental to beryllium a caput manager came astatine Division II Indiana University (of Pennsylvania). Six seasons determination led to 2 astatine FCS Elon, past James Madison, which switched to FBS successful his 4th and 5th seasons.

Why it took truthful agelong for him to get a accidental is present a mystery, but Indiana University (of Indiana) is cashing in.

Cignetti isn't the astir accomplished manager successful the country. That'll instrumentality clip to play out. But the best? One of the best? Well, who could person done amended frankincense far?

This is simply a antithetic epoch for the sport. Tradition and past and dusty displays of aged Heismans to pull recruits don't substance arsenic much. There are accepted powers stumbling each implicit the spot due to the fact that of it, caught flat-footed with the realization that occurrence isn't a birthright.

In its spot is simply a caller parade of assertive contenders, nary much truthful than a programme that for generations served arsenic small mor...