Indiana football 'cheating' theories, explained: Why Curt Cignetti's dominance is raising eyebrows

The rise of Indiana football under Curt Cignetti is almost unbelievable.

The Hoosiers weren’t just a program that struggled on the national stage before Cignetti arrived—they were historically bad. In the 29 years before his tenure, Indiana had only three winning seasons and went 7‑27 in the three years immediately prior to his hiring.

In a sport where upward mobility is rare, Indiana has transformed from a Big Ten bottom-feeder into a team favored to win a national championship in just two seasons.

For most, this is one of the greatest stories in recent sports history and a testament to Cignetti’s coaching skill—a man who confidently declared, “I win. Google me,” before he ever coached a game in Bloomington. For a small minority, however, Indiana’s rapid success has sparked conspiracy theories.

Here’s what you need to know about the unfounded “cheating” claims some fans are spreading about Indiana football.

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Indiana football 'cheating' theories, explained

After dominant wins over Alabama and Oregon in the College Football Playoff, some started speculating that Indiana's success wasn't organic. 

The rumors might have accidentally started with Fox Sports' Chris Fallica, who later said he was not insinuating anything malicious and just wanted to give credit to Indiana's game-planning when he tweeted this: 

It’s almost like Indiana knows what play/look is coming almost every down. They are so well prepped.

A tweet from another X user made more direct claims, without evidence. "Not only has Indiana been hacking into the VEO/ Pixellott software to watch practice film of other teams, but they have infiltrated most cloud based system which teams keep their game plans on," an account named @GoatKiffin tweeted in response to Fallica, claiming the Hoosiers "know every sign and every variation the coaches on opposing teams plan for."

The tweet was viewed 3.9 million times in the first five days after it was posted, but there is no evidence any of those are claims are accurate. 

What fed into the theory, as @GoatKiffin noted, was Indiana's read of Oregon's opening play in the Rose Bowl. Indiana CB D'Angelo Ponds jumped the route immediately and intercepted Dante Moore for a pick-six on the first play of the game. Most saw the play as the result of excellent preparation as instincts. Some just didn't buy it. 

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Is Indiana football cheating?

There is absolutely no evidence to support the theory that Indiana is cheating in any way.

The reason for the speculation, while baseless, isn’t hard to understand: Indiana was bad to very bad for a long time and suddenly looks like one of the most dominant college football teams in recent memory.

In the NFL, that kind of story isn’t uncommon. In college football, which hasn’t been known for parity in the 21st century, stories like Indiana’s are extraordinarily rare. That doesn’t mean they’re impossible—especially given how much the sport’s landscape has changed in the last five years.

Feeding into the theory is that Indiana's supposed talent level doesn't reflect a typical national champion. Each of the previous 20 national champions had at least two top-10 recruiting classes in the four years leading up to their title, according to On3. Indiana's highest-ranked recruiting class in the last four years was 29th in 2022. The program's second highest-ranked class was 53rd in 2025.

Cignetti's emphasis on experience and culture have taken precedent over recruiting ratings, but the major difference between now and most of the last two decades is the transfer portal, which Cignetti has no problem utilizing.

Some people want a simpler explanation than reality offers. 

Cheating theories in sports when a team or player rapidly improves are nothing new. In baseball, former Toronto Blue Jays star faced unfounded steroid speculation when a swing overhaul helped him shatter his previous career-high of 16 home runs by hitting 54 in 2010.

At this point, that is all the Indiana theories are: unfounded speculation. 

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Indiana football history

Here's a look at the last 30 seasons of Indiana football and how different the last two seasons are compared to the previous 28.

Cignetti's 26 wins match the number of wins Indiana had in five years from 2014-18, or in eight years from 1996-2003. The Hoosiers posted just three winning seasons from 1995-2023 but are a stunning 26-2 since Cignetti took the reins. 

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