WTF would ESPN

[orclover11]

put a front page article about "whispers of cheating" about one of the best college football stories in decades.
#1: Whispers shouldn't become a national front page article on the most popular website
#2: There is no credible evidence to support that Indiana could possibly be cheating in a game where cheating is openly allowed in almost every way. Why is this the discussion around Indiana? Big Market Bias? Clicks from butthurt fans? And, for every person that reads the article, there will be 10 who just see the headline and the idea gets stuck.

 

[Steely Dannebrog]

ESPN is ***.

 

[HuskerInCarolina]

ESPN is SEC biased. Of course they'll diminish the success of a team not in the SEC.

 

[Baxter48]

put a front page article about "whispers of cheating" about one of the best college football stories in decades.
#1: Whispers shouldn't become a national front page article on the most popular website
#2: There is no credible evidence to support that Indiana could possibly be cheating in a game where cheating is openly allowed in almost every way. Why is this the discussion around Indiana? Big Market Bias? Clicks from butthurt fans?

From what I’ve read sounds like there is a lot of rumbling about Indiana cheating I don’t think anyone has credible proof but lots of fans can’t figure out how Indiana got so good so fast. I believe it went back to the Alabama where it was as Indiana knew what play bama was running same as the Oregon game. It’s probably just disappointed sec fans

 

[Cornspiracy]

I dont think theyre cheating but considering this has never been done before I wouldnt be surprised if it eventually came out they were.

 

[cubsker15]

They're far outperforming their talent rankings, which is suspicious by itself.

Is Cignetti really that much better at his job than every other coach? Maybe.

 

[Neb79]

If Indiana cheated and got away with it, more power to them. If recruits see that even a historically awful Indiana team can rise from the ashes, it’s better for parity. You don’t want every recruit signing with only 10 teams. And whining about it is a terrible look. No proof, no foul. We should be trying harder to utilize every avenue available to us.

 

[Man Woman & Child]

put a front page article about "whispers of cheating" about one of the best college football stories in decades.
#1: Whispers shouldn't become a national front page article on the most popular website
#2: There is no credible evidence to support that Indiana could possibly be cheating in a game where cheating is openly allowed in almost every way. Why is this the discussion around Indiana? Big Market Bias? Clicks from butthurt fans? And, for every person that reads the article, there will be 10 who just see the headline and the idea gets stuck.

Are you talking about this article?

Wetzel: Never mind the jealous whispers about Indiana

When an upstart like Indiana wins, whispers of cheating are inevitable. Maybe they're just better.

www.espn.com

That's not insinuating that Indiana is cheating. That's an attempt to squelch rumors that they are cheating. What's wrong with that? Or was there some other article you're referring to?

Also, just because players are openly being paid now, there are still plenty of ways to cheat.

 

[Redblood23_rivals]

Lol. What's considered cheating nowadays?

 

[Champs 70-71-94-95-97]

Why aren't we cheating?

 

[Baxter48]

Years ago every team tried to steal signals, today it’s a lot more sophisticated look at the astros and Michigan even if Indiana is cheating they’ll just get a slap on the wrist similar to Michigan

 

[Man Woman & Child]

Lol. What's considered cheating nowadays?

Tapping into your opponent's communication system and performance enhancing drugs, just to name a couple.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

The article is more about how the SEC teams started to suck without coming out and saying that they suck and without admitting that they were buying players like crazy.

 

[Redblood23_rivals]

Tapping into your opponent's communication system and performance enhancing drugs, just to name a couplemeh

Meh...

 

[Nuts McClanahan]

They're far outperforming their talent rankings, which is suspicious by itself.

Is Cignetti really that much better at his job than every other coach? Maybe.

I bet he is cheating. But if it's ever proven, I'm sure Cignetti will say he had nothing to do with it.

 

[orclover11]

I bet he is cheating. But if it's ever proven, I'm sure Cignetti will say he had nothing to do with it.

They have really talented players, especially at WR, QB, OL, RB...the defense is disciplined and has an experienced staff. There has to be a reckoning that there are consequences for players jumping programs, and coaches not building continuity with players or staff. While also having no depth on their roster. Rating are completely inaccurate now...the recruiting agencies have lost huge amounts of capital because nobody cares about high school recruiting, and the talent gap between most transfer portal guys isn't that great. Is Sorsby really a five star compared to another kind of average experienced qb? He might be the best available but he isn't DRAMATICALLY better than the other portal qbs like a 5 star in high school would be compared to a 3 star. That means you just cannot trust a "team of 3 stars" is worse than a team of 5 stars. There are no 5 star players from high school, they are rated too little, too early, and most just transfer before developing. Indiana only had to gain 40 yards to get 28 of their points, Oregon played terrible, some of this to do with the fact their roster was transferring and their starting qb is kind of a dud. So Oregon, really isn't very good, neither is Miami, or Ole Miss, Ohio state had problems all year with offense and it bit them. The top teams today, wouldn't be within 20 at halftime from teams pre-NIL or transfer portal.

 

[steinek11]

From what I’ve read sounds like there is a lot of rumbling about Indiana cheating I don’t think anyone has credible proof but lots of fans can’t figure out how Indiana got so good so fast. I believe it went back to the Alabama where it was as Indiana knew what play bama was running same as the Oregon game. It’s probably just disappointed sec fans

Mark Cuban deployed some cutting edge AI to analyze all of the opponents plays and tendencies to make predictions. Child’s play. The guys up in the booth wear special Ray-Ban’s with WhatsApp installed. It’s possible they also have NeuroLink.

 

[Man Woman & Child]

with WhatsApp installed

Hahaha so they can text all their international friends during the game? Isn't that about all that's good for?

 

[Nuts McClanahan]

They have really talented players, especially at WR, QB, OL, RB...the defense is disciplined and has an experienced staff. There has to be a reckoning that there are consequences for players jumping programs, and coaches not building continuity with players or staff. While also having no depth on their roster. Rating are completely inaccurate now...the recruiting agencies have lost huge amounts of capital because nobody cares about high school recruiting, and the talent gap between most transfer portal guys isn't that great. Is Sorsby really a five star compared to another kind of average experienced qb? He might be the best available but he isn't DRAMATICALLY better than the other portal qbs like a 5 star in high school would be compared to a 3 star. That means you just cannot trust a "team of 3 stars" is worse than a team of 5 stars. There are no 5 star players from high school, they are rated too little, too early, and most just transfer before developing. Indiana only had to gain 40 yards to get 28 of their points, Oregon played terrible, some of this to do with the fact their roster was transferring and their starting qb is kind of a dud. So Oregon, really isn't very good, neither is Miami, or Ole Miss, Ohio state had problems all year with offense and it bit them. The top teams today, wouldn't be within 20 at halftime from teams pre-NIL or transfer portal.

Very interesting thoughts in there. I think you are on to something with the 5 star recruits being overrated once you factor in the high likelihood of transferring. Different sport but look at college basketball. There has been several teams that have done well without any top level recruits. Then there are teams that routinely get high level recruits that are taking in zero and two star rated transfers who are flat out just good college players. North Carolina is starting a point guard from Colorado State for just one of many examples.

There's something to be said for a player who plays smarter and faster than anyone else. Someone with a high degree of confidence. Those guys out perform talent that lacks those things every day of the week.

 

[orclover11]

Very interesting thoughts in there. I think you are on to something with the 5 star recruits being overrated once you factor in the high likelihood of transferring. Different sport but look at college basketball. There has been several teams that have done well without any top level recruits. Then there are teams that routinely get high level recruits that are taking in zero and two star rated transfers who are flat out just good college players. North Carolina is starting a point guard from Colorado State for just one of many examples.

There's something to be said for a player who plays smarter and faster than anyone else. Someone with a high degree of confidence. Those guys out perform talent that lacks those things every day of the week.

I think most of it is the fact the "recruiting website" is dying, and was dying. It really only worked well when kids were being evaluated late in their Junior years and through their Senior years. Boys develop so much during that time, mentally and physically. Even 5-10 years ago the recruiting cycle was moved up into the sophomore year for kids, long before they had any mental development and their physical development wasn't complete. It was just pure projection...A 16 year old 5 star is MUCH less likely to project than an 18 year old 5 star. Well, that 16 year old is much more likely to transfer when he doesn't work out, but the agency isn't likely to change his rating a ton. So if Rivals misses when they are 16, the high rating goes with them and then they become a FIVE star who is transferring, which infers more value...plus the fact that guys are playing until they are 25. The qb for Miami was in the 2020 recruiting class! So yes he is a five star but from before the pandemic. Crazy.

 

[Huskers+123]

They're far outperforming their talent rankings, which is suspicious by itself.

Is Cignetti really that much better at his job than every other coach? Maybe.

Couldn't the same be said about Nebraska basketball?

I doubt that Indiana is doing anything that cannot be done by every other team.

 

[redwine65]

maybe cig is a good talent evaluator/coach, and surrounded by the same, and cuban has the right nil incentives for the right players...
and sorcery ins't involved....I guess we had the scoring explosion happen that was highly unusual in 83.

 

[orclover11]

maybe cig is a good talent evaluator/coach, and surrounded by the same, and cuban has the right nil incentives for the right players...
and sorcery ins't involved....I guess we had the scoring explosion happen that was highly unusual in 83.

I think it is all of the above but also the fact the execution in the sport is just so bad right now, along with the playoff bye. They were the only bye team to win but if you get a good matchup after your bye, like against a four loss Alabama team, and then you get an Oregon team that hands you 28 points for 40 yards of offense you are going to look really dominant. They are the best team, and have faced some pretty bad teams, Oregon not having a running back for an offense that relies on running is pretty bad. Bama probably should not have even been in the playoff. So this is a symptom of the broken system where talent is too dispersed or in the portal by the time the playoffs happen, and too many teams are in the playoff, and having a bye means you can miss some of the hot teams, and now they get to play a 10 seed with two bad losses. The idea that they cheated though is so brainrot, and hurtful to the sport, but I guess a sport that is really only good at killing itself in everyway possible, so I guess it makes sense.

 

[orclover11]

Couldn't the same be said about Nebraska basketball?

I doubt that Indiana is doing anything that cannot be done by every other team.

Patience and risk taking are virtues at this point in college football. Indiana had the freedom to take a risk being a bottom dweller in the conference, and simultaneously they can also be patient and let the risk works itself out. Nobody would really care if it took 2 or 3 years for cignetti to win some games. There are A LOT of teams who overlooked Cignetti on purpose, or thought maybe he was too autistic for the media, and there are a lot of teams that are just throwing **** at the wall because they are impatient need to win now, rather than win ever. I would say NU is in that category. I want Rhule gone more because he is hugely unlikable to me personally and I have heard things that tells me he is a total faker, like we assume from day 1 but if he was more likable, maybe a little younger, and not such a turd I would be willing to give him more time. His decisions have been mostly **** but at times he has shown the ability to make changes and adapt in kind of a slow, likely to die but maybe not sort of way.

 

[Nuts McClanahan]

I think most of it is the fact the "recruiting website" is dying, and was dying. It really only worked well when kids were being evaluated late in their Junior years and through their Senior years. Boys develop so much during that time, mentally and physically. Even 5-10 years ago the recruiting cycle was moved up into the sophomore year for kids, long before they had any mental development and their physical development wasn't complete. It was just pure projection...A 16 year old 5 star is MUCH less likely to project than an 18 year old 5 star. Well, that 16 year old is much more likely to transfer when he doesn't work out, but the agency isn't likely to change his rating a ton. So if Rivals misses when they are 16, the high rating goes with them and then they become a FIVE star who is transferring, which infers more value...plus the fact that guys are playing until they are 25. The qb for Miami was in the 2020 recruiting class! So yes he is a five star but from before the pandemic. Crazy.

I couldn't agree more. Great observation about recruiting websites too. One thing I have seen is that these kids who are phenoms early on have never really had to play with technique. I watched a local HS kid who was very large a youngster wind up not playing any better his senior year than he did his sophomore year. Then after a year or two at the college level he quit school and got a job. Later, I found out that the kid just would not learn any new techniques. And things caught up with him. I think there's a lot of that with these early prospects-- some are willing to learn, others never do get rid of their bad habits.

 

[Nuts McClanahan]

Patience and risk taking are virtues at this point in college football. Indiana had the freedom to take a risk being a bottom dweller in the conference, and simultaneously they can also be patient and let the risk works itself out. Nobody would really care if it took 2 or 3 years for cignetti to win some games. There are A LOT of teams who overlooked Cignetti on purpose, or thought maybe he was too autistic for the media, and there are a lot of teams that are just throwing **** at the wall because they are impatient need to win now, rather than win ever. I would say NU is in that category. I want Rhule gone more because he is hugely unlikable to me personally and I have heard things that tells me he is a total faker, like we assume from day 1 but if he was more likable, maybe a little younger, and not such a turd I would be willing to give him more time. His decisions have been mostly **** but at times he has shown the ability to make changes and adapt in kind of a slow, likely to die but maybe not sort of way.

I'll add that Cignetti was too old. 62 years old? Never coached as a head coach at a P4 school? Come on now. That's not how you impress the big money donors or whomever else's opinions the decision makers care about.

 

[Baxter48]

I'll add that Cignetti was too old. 62 years old? Never coached as a head coach at a P4 school? Come on now. That's not how you impress the big money donors or whomever else's opinions the decision makers care about.

If trev would have hired cig this fanbase would have revolted probably torn down half the stadium and Cignetti wouldn’t be that successful here because we don’t have the money

 

[4norsemen]

I dont think theyre cheating but considering this has never been done before I wouldnt be surprised if it ev

Why aren't we cheating?

We probably are .But gifting an 18 yr old with a tricked out 2027 Bronco Doesn't stand up to 3.5 million and a condo on Key Biscayne at the "U"