Curt Cignetti’s rise has changed the conversation in the Big Ten, and the latest USA Today coach rankings show just how far Indiana has come.
Cignetti now sits at No. 1 among Big Ten coaches, with Ohio State’s Ryan Day at No. 2 and Oregon’s Dan Lanning at No. 3.
That ordering reflects the way Indiana surged under Cignetti, who took the losingest program in college football to a national championship in two seasons. The Hoosiers’ path included two wins over Lanning and the Ducks, highlighted by a 56-22 rout in the CFP Semifinal at the Peach Bowl.
Lanning’s place near the top is no surprise, either. Since taking over Oregon in 2022, he has built a 48-8 record heading into his fifth season.
He is 3-2 in bowl games and 2-2 in the CFP, with both of those playoff losses coming against the eventual national champion - Ohio State in 2024 and Indiana in 2025. Lanning also guided Oregon through a perfect 13-0 regular season and a Big Ten title win over Penn State in the Ducks’ first year in the conference.
All three coaches in the top three have taken their teams to the CFP more than once, and that sets up a familiar kind of pressure entering the 2026 season. Oregon is trying to become the next Big Ten program to break through and keep the conference’s national championship streak alive for a fourth straight season.
The Ducks have spent the last few years inching closer, and the expectation now is simple: finish the job. The national title game is set for Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and Oregon is aiming to be the team lifting the trophy there.
For now, the betting markets put the Ducks among the top contenders. Oregon has the fourth-best odds to win the national championship at +800, behind Ohio State (+550), Notre Dame (+700), and Texas (+750), according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Indiana, meanwhile, is listed at +850 to repeat as national champions next season.
Oregon opens the 2026 season on Sept. 5 at Autzen Stadium against Boise State. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT, and the game will air on CBS.
In Other News...
Oregons 2027 Class Has One Hidden Name Fans Need To Notice
Since Dan Lanning arrived in December 2021, Oregon has made a habit of stacking elite recruiting classes, and the Ducks are again tracking near the top in 2027. On3 currently has the class at No. 3 nationally, while 247Sports slots it at No. 2, with the board already featuring blue-chip names and a few prospects who fit the programs usual blend of size, speed and long-term upside.
One of the more interesting pieces in that group is Lake Oswego edge rusher Josh Christensen, a local prospect who has drawn a wide range of scholarship interest and already picked up some notable prep honors. Oregons staff clearly sees more than the ranking next to his name, valuing the traits and developmental ceiling that could make him a bigger part of the class than his three-star label suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons 2027 Recruiting Surge Might Not Be Finished Yet
Oregons 2027 recruiting momentum has turned into one of the louder storylines in the country this month, with the Ducks climbing from five Top 100 commits in June to eight in July. That rise has them tied for second nationally with USC and Notre Dame, while the overall class sits No. 2 behind Texas A&M, which has set the pace with 12 Top 100 pledges of its own.
The broader picture suggests the race is still very much active, too, with 96 of the 247Sports Top 100 prospects already off the board and several programs stacking multiple elite additions. For Oregon, the surge has created real buzz around a class that already looks loaded, but there is still at least one high-end target the Ducks have been working to keep in play as the recruiting calendar moves deeper into the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Teitum Tuioti Just Became Central To Oregons 2026 Title Hopes
Oregons defense was already a major reason the Ducks reached the College Football Playoff semifinal last season, and the front remains loaded as the program turns its attention to 2026. Nearly all of the key defensive linemen are back, giving new coordinator Chris Hampton a veteran foundation to work with as Oregon tries to keep pace in the national championship chase.
At the center of that group is senior EDGE Teitum Tuioti, whose decision to return gives the Ducks a proven playmaker and a steady presence up front. He comes into the season with strong draft buzz and top-tier preseason recognition, but for Oregon the bigger story is simpler: a defense that was good enough to carry a deep run now has a chance to be even better, and Tuioti is a big reason why. [Read more 🡒]