Cignetti passes Lanning in USA TODAY's Big Ten head coach ranking
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Since the Oregon Ducks joined the Big Ten ahead of the 2024 season, much has changed in the conference. Coming along with them from the Pac-12 were the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins and Washington Huskies, bringing a different brand of ball to the Big Ten. Penn State has undergone a complete regime change, arguably in part due to the Ducks breaking their spirit in a double overtime road victory in the early stages of the 2025 season.
But the biggest difference has clearly been the emergence of the Indiana Hoosiers, who combined to go 3-24 in Big Ten play from 2021-2023. Then, Curt Cignetti walked in the building and changed the culture, outlook and attitude surrounding Indiana football from the moment he was hired as head coach of the Hoosiers.
Google him then, when he’d turned around programs like James Madison and Elon, and it revealed an impressive resume. Google him now, two years later, and Cignetti has a historically successful resume complete with a turnaround that’s up there with any other in American sports.
While Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning has been uber impressive in his own right, amassing a 48-8 record in four seasons with four bowl wins and two appearances in the College Football Playoff combined with elite leadership and motivation tactics, he hasn’t been able to do what Cignetti did in Year 2: advance to and win the big one.
Not only did the Hoosiers defeat the Ducks on the road in Week 7, but they demolished them by 34 points in the CFP Semifinal. They then took down the Miami Hurricanes in a thrilling national championship battle, not showing any resolve on their way to taking home the title.
It’s all led Cignetti to fly up USA TODAY’s head coach rankings in the Big Ten, as he sits atop the rest at No. 1. Meanwhile, Lanning isn’t even No. 2, with Ohio State’s Ryan Day occupying that spot off of the strength of a national title run in 2024 — the one thing eluding Oregon’s head man.
“Fair or not, Lanning won’t get his national due until Oregon wins a national championship,” USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg wrote. “The Ducks have been closer than ever since he took over in 2022, including a 26-3 mark in two seasons as members of the Big Ten. The 2024 team went unbeaten in winning the conference title and taking the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, while last year’s group advanced to the national semifinals before losing to the Hoosiers. Overall, Lanning is 48-6 with three top-seven finishes in the Coaches Poll.”
Though you’d be hard-pressed to find a better regular season head coach over the last four seasons, it’s a fair assessment to say that the top of these rankings are truly crafted based upon what happens in December and January. After all, that’s when the football really matters and when legacies are built.
Cignetti and Day have crafted their legacies with national titles. Lanning has not — though there remains plenty of time for the 40-year-old to do so, with the 2026 season serving as good of a chance for Lanning and the Ducks to finally push through the finish line as national champions.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Cignetti passes Lanning in USA TODAY’s Big Ten head coach ranking
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