USC fans should be happy for newly crowned national champion Indiana

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My colleague at Trojans Wire, Matt Zemek, loves to point to Curt Cignetti’s success at Indiana as a reason why Trojan fans should be frustrated with Lincoln Riley’s tenure at USC. If Cignetti was able to make the College Football Playoff in just one season and win a national title in just two, what is taking Riley so long at USC?

It’s a very sound argument. But while it’s a great reason to hold Riley and USC accountable, it’s not a reason to root against the Hoosiers and hope for their downfall.

In fact, I think USC football fans should be happy that their conference rivals took home the national championship trophy Monday night instead of Miami.

Here’s why:

It’s a great story

Wouldn’t you rather see Indiana win its first national championship ever than see Ohio State, Georgia or Alabama win it again? Curt Cignetti, Fernando Mendoza and company brought a breath of fresh air to college football this season.

The Hoosiers just turned in one of the most remarkable seasons in college football history for a program that has historically been awful. Trojan fans can continue to mourn what could have been at USC this season, but there’s no reason not to enjoy and appreciate witnessing a season that will go down in history. And, be happy for Indiana fans who have endured so much losing to get to this point.

It boosts the Big Ten’s profile

This is the third straight season that a different Big Ten team has won the national title: Michigan, Ohio State and now Indiana. Couple that fact with how much better Big Ten teams performed in postseason play than SEC teams, and it’s clear that the Big Ten is the premiere conference in college football right now.

Hopefully AP Poll voters will recognize and respect that fact, giving the Trojans and other good Big Ten teams the same rankings boost that the SEC has enjoyed in recent years.

If USC beats Indiana (the defending national champions) next season, that will be a huge boost to the Trojans’ CFP resume. And hopefully other Big Ten teams stand to benefit from Indiana’s success as well, as the greater college football world realizes just how good these other teams that Indiana beat were. There’s no shame in losing to the undefeated national champs in a hard fought battle!

Financial implications for the Trojans

By winning the national championship, Indiana accumulated $20 million in prize money for advancing through each round of the College Football Playoff.

In the Big Ten, that money is distributed evenly among the Big Ten’s member schools.

So hey, the Trojans get $1.1 million because of Indiana’s championship run. That’s a nice little payday, and much more than it would have been had Miami taken home the title.

This really sucks for Oregon

Sure, USC fans may feel jealous comparing Cignetti’s tenure to Lincoln Riley’s. But the Trojans still have their past national titles to cling to.

Meanwhile, rival Oregon has still never won a national championship. The Ducks lost to Indiana in the CFP semifinals 56-22 and could only watch as the Hooisers of all teams achieved something that Oregon, despite all the Nike money and five star recruits and uniform combinations, has never been able to achieve. Dan Lanning was hired the same year as Lincoln Riley, remember.

So even if Trojan fans don’t feel great about Cignetti and Indiana’s success, they can rest easy knowing that Oregon fans feel worse.

Hopefully this motivates Lincoln Riley

If Trojan fans can’t be happy for any of the other reasons stated above, they should at least know that this is obvious bulletin board material for Lincoln Riley.

Before last night, Indiana was just a nice little story with a couple of smaller trophies to show for it. But now, the Hoosiers have won the big one, something that Lincoln Riley never even accomplished at Oklahoma.

Riley can’t ignore Cignetti anymore, figuratively or literally. He has to field a Trojan team that can contend with the defending national champions next season, and he has to face the reality that Curt Cignetti won a national championship before him.

It’s time to rise to Cignetti’s level or get left on the figurative tarmac, Lincoln Riley. He knows that. So regardless of how 2026 goes, at least Trojan fans can’t say Riley was lacking motivation.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Indiana beats Miami, wins College Football Playoff national title

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