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The Indiana Hoosiers and their head coach, Curt Cignetti, have ruined the sport for everyone. Cignetti took over one of the worst programs in the history of the sport, fresh off three straight losing seasons.
Indiana's Historic Rise Has Changed Expectations Across College Football
In his first season at the helm, Cignetti went 11-2 and made the College Football Playoff for the first time in Indiana history. In Year 2, he led them to a 16-0 record and a national championship, the first in program history. These fast results have made it so everyone now expects you to win, and win now.
ESPN's Jordan Rodgers and Paul Finebaum appeared on "Get Up" ahead of SEC media days. They were asked about the LSU Tigers and new head coach Lane Kiffin.
Lane Kiffin Faces Unrealistic Pressure in First LSU Season
Rodgers said that due to Cignetti's success, anything short of a national championship will be deemed a failure in Kiffin's first season. Finebaum said it would be a failure if Kiffin never wins a national championship, but he doesn't have to do it this year.
"I don't think he has to do it this year... I think if he misses the championship this year, even if he misses the CFP, I don't think you can write Lane Kiffin off because he is so good in the portal," Finebaum said.
One of Rodgers' big points is that Kiffin just led the Ole Miss Rebels to the College Football Playoff last season. Now, he leaves for a place he admitted himself has more resources. So he is expected to win now, rather than the typical honeymoon phase.
Curt Cignetti's Success Should Be Viewed as the Exception, Not the Standard
The reality is that Cignetti should be looked at as the exception, not the rule. Every team would love to have the kind of success Cignetti had in his first season, but there is a reason teams haven't done it until Indiana did it. They don't have Cignetti at the helm.
That's not to say the Tiger fans shouldn't expect a College Football Playoff berth in the first season. Kiffin brought with him the No. 1-ranked transfer portal class, and LSU had been close to making the playoff in three of the past four seasons.
Ultimately, Indiana's historic rise under Cignetti should be celebrated, but it should not become the measuring stick for every new coaching hire. College football is more competitive than ever, and even elite coaches need time to build sustainable championship programs.
Kiffin should be expected to make LSU a contender quickly, but demanding a national championship in Year 1 ignores just how rare Indiana's transformation truly was.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq as Paul Finebaum Disagrees It's Championship-or-Bust for Major SEC Head Coach.
