Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has grown fond of the Indiana Hoosiers football program since coach Curt Cignetti was hired to replace Tom Allen before the 2024 season began.
Ever since, the Hoosiers have looked unrecognizable and now find themselves eight quarters away from capping an unbeaten season and potentially a national title (the Big Ten's third straight).
Despite the Hoosiers' preparation to beat the Oregon Ducks in the Peach Bowl this Friday, Cignetti was abundantly clear about it being the main priority when speaking to media members this week.
“Yeah, excited to be a part of the Peach Bowl,” Cignetti said. “Playing a great opponent in Oregon, Coach Lanning. Like I said, so before we played earlier in the year, one of the young superstars, you know, in the coaching profession. I think they’re 26-2 the last two years."
The Ducks' record is nothing to sweat at, but neither is the Hoosiers.'
Indiana did the unthinkable by beating the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten title game to clinch the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff, then dominated the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl to make the rematch official. The Ducks, meanwhile, played with a chip on their shoulder and won the Orange Bowl against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 23-0.
Looking ahead to the immediate future, though, Cuban did a good deed by delivering a massive boost to the Hoosiers' NCAA Transfer Portal allocation with an undisclosed amount.
According to Front Office Sports, Cuban said the Hoosiers received the donation positively.
“Already committed for this portal,” Cuban said. “Let’s just say they are happier this year than last year.”
The Hoosiers have already added major pieces for next season, including quarterback Josh Hoover (TCU Horned Frogs) and wide receiver Nick Marsh (Michigan State Spartans), among others.
Before focusing on what's ahead, though, the task remains the same.
“And, you know, really an excellent football team, offense, defense, and special teams," Cignetti said of Oregon. "Do a great job of coaching. Be a big challenge. We were fortunate, you know, to win the game out in Eugene. It’s hard to beat a great team twice. You know, very difficult. So, edge to Oregon there. But tough to be a great team twice. Looking forward to the challenge.”
The Hoosiers' regular-season victory against Lanning's Ducks prevented them from having a chance to repeat as conference champions, as they did so in their first year in the conference in a victory against Penn State.
Now, a little over a year later, the Hoosiers will try to prevent Oregon from rewriting a pass wrong.