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Snyder vs Cignetti

Posted on 1/20/26 at 9:30 am
Posted by EastTXHorn
Houston
Member since Jan 2019
2045 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 9:30 am
I’m a younger guy, but I was a somewhat conscious college football fan towards the tail end of Snyders run at K-State. They won with a similar dynamic to Indiana. They utilized the Kansas JUCO farm system to inject developed experienced players into the system, barely recruiting HS guys. Very well coached, few penalties, run the frick out the ball. They weren’t just feasting on Big12 North teams, they were beating OU & Texas. They were scheduling USC, Miami, etc. Snyder never could quite reach the national title game though, he’d always drop a game he shouldn’t have to prevent a berth. Which is a more impressive turnaround? 16-0 at Indiana has to be the all-time greatest.
Posted by JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
In The Ham
Member since Nov 2017
13087 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 9:52 am to
16-0 is the Top
Posted by notsince98
KC, MO
Member since Oct 2012
21578 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 9:56 am to
Cignetti is more impressive. snyder had no morals or ethics. He was fine with taking all the criminals he could find. Snyder had too many bad losses to terrible teams and that is why he never won it all.
Posted by Gunga Din
Oklahoma
Member since Jul 2020
3250 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 10:08 am to
quote:

I’m a younger guy, but I was a somewhat conscious college football fan towards the tail end of Snyders run at K-State. They won with a similar dynamic to Indiana. They utilized the Kansas JUCO farm system to inject developed experienced players into the system, barely recruiting HS guys. Very well coached, few penalties, run the frick out the ball. They weren’t just feasting on Big12 North teams, they were beating OU & Texas. They were scheduling USC, Miami, etc. Snyder never could quite reach the national title game though, he’d always drop a game he shouldn’t have to prevent a berth. Which is a more impressive turnaround? 16-0 at Indiana has to be the all-time greatest.


Although I think you'd have to give Cignetti the edge here...

It is important to realize that Snyder was way more restricted by the transfer rules. Cignetti wouldn't have done this in two years given the old system...

In fact, Cignetti basically had pretty good timing to pull this off.

Just a few years ago for a brief period... NIL was what you could get for pitching chicken fingers or doing local car commercials... You couldn't buy players with huge sums of money. You couldn't pull guys from all over the country with NIL...

Just a few years ago it would have been considered unethical to bring half your old team to your new program and kick the previous regime's players to the curb. (Thanks Coach Prime)...

But what Cignetti DID do that was amazing is take the old regime's players transfers who were not that highly sought after and turn them into great players.

Sort of like how Snyder took JUCO's and two and three stars and turned them into big time players.

Posted by FootballFrenzy
Chief of the Grammar Police
Member since Oct 2023
9265 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 10:09 am to
quote:

snyder had no morals or ethics.

Wut.
Posted by BevoBucks
H-town
Member since Dec 2022
6685 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 10:10 am to
quote:

16-0 at Indiana has to be the all-time greatest.
In the modern era, nobody has done what Cignetti just did. Best piece of coaching I've seen in a long, long time.
Posted by FootballFrenzy
Chief of the Grammar Police
Member since Oct 2023
9265 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 10:16 am to
Snyder had no Mark Cubans backing him, so I have to give him the nod. He had his team one game away from the natty in 2012.
Posted by notsince98
KC, MO
Member since Oct 2012
21578 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 10:58 am to
quote:

Wut.


He had no problem recruiting kids that were convicted criminals or even arrested during recruitment. They had all sorts of campus issues with his players over the years.
This post was edited on 1/20/26 at 11:00 am
Posted by SECCaptain
Member since Jun 2025
1871 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 10:59 am to
Snyder was good, but Cigs is the mastermind behind the GOAT CFB team. 16-0, nuff said
Posted by TheePalmetto
Member since Aug 2025
2624 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 11:00 am to
Snyder. Couldn’t just pay a bunch of 23-25 year olds to come play for you back then.
Posted by FootballFrenzy
Chief of the Grammar Police
Member since Oct 2023
9265 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 11:06 am to
quote:

He had no problem recruiting kids that were convicted criminals or even arrested during recruitment. They had all sorts of campus issues with his players over the years.

First I’m hearing of it. But if that’s true, wouldn’t that make Snyder’s tenure more impressive? It’s harder to get a bunch of lawless scrubs to play well than squeaky-clean Boy Scouts.
Posted by vidtiger23
Member since Feb 2012
8426 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 11:15 am to
I’d give Indiana the edge. But it’s much closer than one would think. Indiana in the old rules would not have had the turnaround they did.
Posted by EastTXHorn
Houston
Member since Jan 2019
2045 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 11:36 am to
I thought Miami proved last night that the blue blood approach will always be preferable to an extent. Miami had favorable matchups all over the field, their defensive line dominated. When Toney was in space, IU defenders looked frozen. Cristobal running the ball only 20 times is what lost the game in my opinion. IU had multiple huge 4th down conversions, drives extended by penalties, special teams TD, and still needed a late Carson Beck meltdown to win. All the dozen variables that lead to this result will be difficult to replicate. Especially the injury luck of Indiana with a razor thin depth chart.
Posted by karmew32
Scott, LA (born & raised in Ponchy)
Member since Jan 2017
1817 posts
Posted on 1/20/26 at 11:38 am to
1998 was the closest they got. Your school ruined that. The way KSU blew that game was eerily reminiscent of how the Jays blew Game 7 of the World Series.
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