Mark Cuban’s Role in Indiana Football’s Rise

Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks minority owner and a notable alum of Indiana University, will be among those wearing cream and crimson at tonight’s College Football Playoff national championship game. His involvement with the Hoosiers has been significant, playing a key role in helping coach Curt Cignetti build this roster through donations and NIL fundraising.

Cuban and Cignetti share a deep connection, both hailing from Western Pennsylvania and even being born in the same hospital. This bond has helped Indiana reach football heights never seen in Bloomington. Cuban recently expressed his surprise at seeing IU in a national title game on “First Take,” recalling that the highlight of his time at IU was going to the Holiday Bowl with coach Lee Corso. He admitted it was beyond his wildest dreams to see the Hoosiers compete for a national championship.

A New Era for Indiana Football

Cuban was present during IU’s Peach Bowl victory over Oregon and revealed he made another donation to Indiana’s athletic department during the Hoosiers’ CFP run. His perspective on building a successful program is clear: “It wasn’t about designing a program that just went and outbid everybody, it was putting together a program and an organization and a culture,” he said. “All the things you need to do to win, no matter what the sport is.”

Before Cignetti’s arrival, Cuban hadn’t been a major benefactor for IU football. However, what changed was Cignetti’s approach. “It wasn’t any one thing, it was just who he was,” Cuban explained. “He didn’t come in and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to do all these grand things.’ He’s just, ‘This is how we do it. I have a specific way, it’s always worked. There’s no reason why it’s not going to work again.’”

Building a Championship Culture

Cuban compared his investment in Cignetti to investing in an entrepreneur on “Shark Tank.” He admired Cignetti’s system and approach to building organizations. “He has a system. The way he designs everything, the way he builds organizations. That’s really what connected me,” Cuban said.

The use of the transfer portal has been instrumental in rebuilding the Hoosiers roster and creating a team capable of competing for a national championship. Cuban noted the importance of understanding how programs spend player-revenue sharing from the House vs. NCAA settlement, as well as NIL.

Strategic Team Building

“I saw it with the Mavs in the NBA, there’s kind of like a salary cap. You have to know how to build a team,” Cuban said. “You have to know what kind of players to go after. It’s not about winning the portal. It’s about getting athletes and players who want to, know their role, work to fill that role, know what their position is with the team, and having an organization and coaches that understand you’re not getting players who are coming in for four years to develop, then they’re great when their seniors.”

Cuban emphasized the importance of having a culture and system in place. “They talk about no five stars, limited four stars. What that means to me, they’re not out there trying to outbid everybody. We’re not talking about, ‘We got the most expensive quarterback, and we outbid everybody else.’ Not at all.”

The National Championship Game Details

The College Football Playoff championship game between Indiana and Miami will air nationally on ESPN. Chris Fowler will provide play-by-play coverage, while Kirk Herbstreit will serve as the analyst. Holly Rowe and Molly McGrath will be sideline reporters.

Streaming options include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

When and Where to Watch

Date: Monday, Jan. 19

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)

Indiana and Miami are scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 19 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.