On this episode of CrimsonCast Scott is joined by special guest Connor Onion from the Big Ten Network!
Episode Highlights
- The Ultimate Glow-Up: A look back at the wild ride from a three-and-nine team to a 16-0 national champion.
- When Belief Set In: Connor and the host discuss the exact moment they realized this wasn't a fluke—the Big 10 Championship game against Ohio State.
- The Heisman Warrior: A breakdown of Fernando Mendoza's incredible season, balancing his "warrior" mentality on the field with his "goofy" social media persona.
- Breaking College Football: How Indiana’s success is confusing the national media and why Big Ten rivals are now celebrating when they don't have to play the Hoosiers.
- The Cignetti Factor: Why Curt Cignetti is the perfect coach for Bloomington and how he’s building a legacy that might eventually include multiple statues.
- Behind the FOX Curtain: Connor takes us inside the network's preseason "referee boot camp" where announcers get quizzed on targeting and new rules.
- The Transformation of the Rock: Celebrating the new, electric atmosphere at Memorial Stadium and how it finally became a legitimate home-field advantage.
- 00:25 – Welcome to the show: We are national champions!
- 01:31 – Connor Onion on following the journey from 3-9 to 16-0
- 02:54 – The turning point: Winning over the skeptics in the Big 10 title game
- 04:52 – Remembering the ominous start vs. Old Dominion
- 09:20 – Media shifts: Preparing for early morning "Big Noon" kickoffs
- 14:18 – A sidebar on the "dumbest T-shirt ever"
- 15:52 – Can anyone replicate the Indiana model?
- 19:43 – Fernando Mendoza: Heisman winner and on-field warrior
- 22:52 – FOX Sports referee boot camp and the mystery of the pivot foot
- 34:55 – Five-year outlook: Is this level of success sustainable?
- 37:51 – The legacy of Curt Cignetti
- 48:58 – From empty tailgates to a sold-out Memorial Stadium
- 51:43 – Closing thoughts and basketball tournament hopes