Curt Cignetti Indiana University head coach Floats a fix and it could rewrite the rules between NCAA Division And………..
Curt Cignetti, the new head football coach at Indiana University, is wasting no time in making waves—not just on the field, but in the broader landscape of college athletics. Known for his no-nonsense coaching style and track record of success at James Madison, Cignetti is now proposing a radical shift in how NCAA divisions are structured. His idea? Rethink the rigid boundaries between Division I subdivisions—namely the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)—to level the playing field and reintroduce fairness to college football’s competitive ecosystem.
Cignetti’s suggestion comes at a time when college athletics is in the middle of seismic change. With the rise of the transfer portal, the spread of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, and the increasing influence of mega-conferences, many smaller or mid-tier programs are struggling to keep pace. For coaches like Cignetti, who spent years building a powerhouse at the FCS level before jumping to the Big Ten, the current divide between the haves and have-nots has never been more apparent—or more unsustainable. He believes it’s time to rethink how schools are classified, particularly in football, and offer a system that reflects capability rather than sheer wealth or historical prestige.
One of the key aspects of Cignetti’s vision includes the creation of a more dynamic divisional structure. Rather than keeping programs locked into a subdivision for decades based on legacy or conference affiliation, Cignetti suggests a performance-based system similar to promotion and relegation models used in European soccer. Under this model, schools with consistently strong records in the FCS—or lower-tier FBS teams that underperform—could shift between tiers every few seasons, keeping competition fresh and rewarding actual on-field success rather than name recognition or donor funding.
This could prove revolutionary, especially for schools on the bubble. Programs like James Madison, App State, and Coastal Carolina have demonstrated they can compete at high levels when given the opportunity. Cignetti argues that locking these teams out of major bowl contention or playoff visibility simply because of their FCS origins limits growth and innovation within the sport. A merit-based system, he says, could invigorate programs and give talented athletes a broader range of opportunities—regardless of their school’s historical profile or budget.
However, Cignetti’s proposal is not without critics. Detractors point out the logistical and financial challenges of implementing such a structure. Television contracts, bowl agreements, and the vast economic gap between Power Five and Group of Five schools would complicate any attempt at restructuring. Furthermore, traditional powerhouses may resist change that threatens their dominance. Yet, Cignetti believes that as NIL continues to democratize recruiting and player movement, the system itself must evolve. “The game is changing whether we like it or not,” he said in a recent interview. “Why shouldn’t the structure change with it?”
While it remains to be seen if Cignetti’s idea will gain traction at the NCAA level, his willingness to challenge the status quo is already resonating with fans and coaches tired of the current disparities. For Indiana, his hire was initially viewed as a bold attempt to revitalize a struggling program. But with this latest proposal, Cignetti has shown he’s not just aiming to build a winning team—he’s trying to redefine the game. In an era of unprecedented transformation, that kind of forward thinking might be exactly what college football needs.
