Curt Cignetti Is Seriously Worried About Future Of College Football

2025 saw Curt Cignetti establish himself as one of the all-time great coaches in college football by leading Indiana to an historic national championship. But as the 2026 season approaches, he has serious concerns about the future of the sport.

Speaking to Colin McMahon this week, Cignetti said that while he thinks players should get paid, he's not sure if the rate at which they're earning money is sustainable. He warned that if serious reforms aren't put into place within 12-24 months, college football "won't exist" as we know it now.

"The market is pretty expensive - it's scary. It's scary. I think players should get paid. But something's going to have to be done in the next 12 to 24 months, or universities might not be able to handle this. College football won't exist the way we're going right now."

Solutions?

As dire as that warning is, college football fans don't seem to have any real consensus on what changes need to be made in order to stop the changes on that front. Some believe the NFL should create its own farm system so college football stops being about pro-readiness, others believe the sport simply has to change due to getting away with violating laws for years.

"If 'college football as we know it' violates labor laws, then, like it or not, 'college football as we know it' will have to change," one user remarked on X.

"I have a solution. Let the NFL create it's own farm system and pay those players, while Universities become real schools and do not pay students to participate in extra curricular activities," suggested another.

"Do the Math. Players are only getting something like 6%. If giving up 6% to the players who bring in far more is an issue, then this model needs to go. Problem is those that have built a fortune off of their backs doesn't want to give up the unfair advantage," a third wrote.

"Imagine having 100 years to come up with a system that benefited everyone and then complaining when there is no system in place!"

Changes to college football have seemingly made it both more possible than ever and harder than ever for college teams to build. 10 years ago it would have been utterly impossible for Cignetti and the Hoosiers to win a national title, but thanks to having the largest alumni pool in the country (and motivated donors who want to see the team succeed), they're positioned to become a powerhouse in college football for a while.

But in the race to catch teams like Indiana and other big-spending schools, others are likely to spend themselves into oblivion. That could pose a bigger problem than any singular coaching mistake or blown call on the field.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 2:56 PM.