Kirby Smart and Curt Cignetti, man, these guys are on another level. A poll from Bruce Feldman over at The Athletic just dropped, and it turns out 82 percent of Division I head coaches, assistant coaches, and GMs trust Smart and Cignetti more than anyone else to win one single game. That’s a head-turning number, for sure.
The Dominators and the Unsung Hero
When you look at their track records, maybe it isn’t a shock. Smart’s the guy who just won back-to-back national titles with Georgia. Cignetti? He’s the reigning national champ with Indiana. These are the dudes everyone’s trying to catch. Smart pulled in 17 votes, and Cignetti got 11. One head coach flat out said, “Cignetti has my vote. I have a special place in my heart for guys that take bad jobs and make them good. Anyone can win at certain places. What he has done is incredible.” You can’t argue with that, right? Cignetti took Indiana from being the losingest program in college football history, then boom, College Football Playoff in his first season and a national championship in his second. That’s truly wild.
The Real Shocker: Who Got a Vote, and Who Didn’t
But here’s where it gets interesting: only five coaches even got a single vote. Yeah, only five. Aside from Smart and Cignetti, you had Bob Chesney from UCLA with 3 votes, Jason Eck from New Mexico with 2, and Willie Fritz from Houston with 1. What’s even crazier is who didn’t get a vote: national champion-winning coaches like Ryan Day from Ohio State and Dabo Swinney from Clemson, plus big names like Marcus Freeman, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, and Dan Lanning. Seriously? Zero votes for those guys? It really makes you think about their ability to win at nontraditional powerhouses, especially when resources devoted to the football program are so important these days. Cignetti’s the king of that, no doubt.
What’s Next for the Titans
So, what’s next for these titans? Cignetti’s Hoosiers are still undefeated this season, but they’ve got a massive challenge coming up this Saturday against Day’s Buckeyes. Talk about a statement game! As for Smart, a wide receivers coach called him a “master motivator,” saying “his teams rarely show up flat, regardless of opponent level.” That trait’s gonna be tested this Saturday when Georgia faces a struggling Auburn squad after a marquee victory over Alabama. Avoiding any type of letdown as the season progresses is gonna be crucial if Smart wants his team in that championship race again. These guys are fighting for it every single week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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