ATLANTA, Ga. (WDRB) — Indiana football has taken the college football world by surprise this season, and perhaps no one is enjoying the ride more than billionaire entrepreneur and IU graduate Mark Cuban.
“I don’t want to get off the field,” Cuban said while soaking in the atmosphere ahead of Indiana’s College Football Playoff semifinal. “I just want to absorb the energy and everything.”
WDRB's Dalton Godbey caught up with Cuban before Friday night's Peach Bowl in Mercedes-Benz Stadium and asked him for his insights into the Hoosiers' stunning success.
Asked if he ever envisioned Indiana football reaching this level, Cuban was candid.
“No,” he said. “There’s always been little glimpses every few years… but just to be so close right here? Now we’ve got to finish it up. It’s not done — but it’s pretty cool.”
Cuban deflected credit for the program’s transformation away from donors like himself and toward the university’s leadership and coaching staff.
Mark Cuban and Scott Van Pelt talk before Indiana's Peach Bowl game against Oregon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“As much as I’d like to take credit, it’s all about the organization,” Cuban said, pointing to athletic director Scott Dolson, president Pam Whitten, and head coach Curt Cignetti. “There’s a lot of people who can throw money at a problem. But if you don’t know how to solve your problems, if you don’t know how to put together a team and organization, it doesn’t matter.”
He praised Cignetti’s approach to roster-building and game strategy as the driving force behind Indiana’s success, especially given the program’s lack of top-tier recruits.
“Coach Cignetti is a beast when it comes to the game and strategy and putting together pieces,” Cuban said. “That’s what matters more than anything.”
The key, he said, is giving people the tools and space to lead, and then getting out of the way.
“When you’ve got a stud, you let him run,” Cuban said. “And that’s Coach Cignetti.”
More Indiana Football Coverage:
CRAWFORD | Indiana Unleashed: Hoosiers throttle Oregon, eye national title
CRAWFORD | Pray to play: Indiana's Mendoza looks inward, and upward, for pregame edge
CRAWFORD | Production over Potential: Indiana offense runs on something better than stars
CRAWFORD | Indiana's Curt Cignetti promises — he's smiling on the inside (sometimes)
CRAWFORD | Indiana’s defense is no illusion — but it thrives on creating them
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