Every job is different. For years, the goal leading the Indiana Hoosiers was to achieve bowl eligibility. The historic basketball power did it so rarely prior to Curt Cignetti taking over in Bloomington two years ago. To date, he has lost a grand total of two games at IU: One to Ohio State during the regular season last year and a close call on the road at rival Notre Dame during the College Football Playoff.
So far this season the Hoosiers are 10-0 and the first true lock to make the College Football Playoff this season. They might be ranked No. 2, but should be seen as a top-four team in everyone's book right now. Of course, they cannot afford to stumble to either Wisconsin at home or on the road to arch rival Purdue to end the season. One more win effectively guarantees they will be in Indianapolis.
Let's just say that what Cignetti had to say about Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell spoke volumes.
Curt Cignetti's comments about Luke Fickell may provide us some clarity
Here is what Cignetti had to say during his press conference on Monday about the Wisconsin coach.
"I've got a lot of respect for Coach Fickell, he's a proven winner. The guy's had his starting quarterback available about 30 percent of the time during his tenure at Wisconsin. That's tough duty."
The fact Cignetti stood up for Fickell when he is down bad suggests Wisconsin may turn this around.
"I've got a lot of respect for coach Fickell, he's a proven winner. The guy's had his starting quarterback available about 30% of the time during his tenure at Wisconsin. That's tough duty."
— Colten Bartholomew (@CBartWSJ) November 11, 2025
Curt Cignetti on Fickell at Monday presser. #Badgers
Of course, coaches usually go to bat for their counterparts, especially when they are struggling because this profession is so unbelievably unforgiving. Cignetti knows what we all know that Fickell was a fantastic head coach when he was at then-Group of Five Cincinnati. At that level, Fickell's teams dominated. Then again, there have been so many self-inflicted reasons why this has yet to translate...
Let's now unpack this a little bit more to really get to the crux of what Cignetti is trying to get across
Curt Cignetti is implying that Wisconsin is not spending like it should
What was Indiana football before Cignetti arrived? It was a program defined by the occasional pop year, largely due in part to the great play of quarterbacks like Trent Green, Antwaan Randle El and Michael Penix Jr. Cignetti brought an unrivaled passion to the gridiron we have never seen in Bloomington before, or may ever see again. It also helps that he has a financial capital backing him up.
One of the reasons why Wisconsin has fallen to the wayside has been a lack of serious financial investment out of its big-pocketed boosters and the university at-large. We have seen this program dominate not that long ago. Heck, one of their own might be NFL MVP this year in Jonathan Taylor, who is not even close to 30! To be quite frank, if Indiana can become a behemoth, so can Wisconsin.
Overall, Fickell may be able to reinvent himself as a quality head coach at some point down the line. The odds are against him to make that work in Madison, but it could come at his next job. This thing does feel too far gone to honestly reclaim. Then again, that Washington win was Fickell's first signature victory of his Wisconsin tenure some three years in. You have to appreciate the little things.
Cignetti seems to have a better understanding of what is going on at Wisconsin than the university.