Curt Cignetti believes the Big Ten is the top conference in the country

· Yahoo Sports

Are the UCLA Bruins playing in the toughest college football conference in the country? The head coach of the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers believes so, with the reigning Associated Press Coach of the Year, Curt Cignetti, saying so at the Big Ten Conference Media Day on Thursday.

After leading Indiana to an undefeated season where the Hoosiers football program captured their first-ever national title, it’s hard to blame Cignetti for thinking that the Big Ten is the cream of the crop. Three different Big Ten schools have won the past three national titles and that might not change in 2026, with Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon all remaining in national title contention. 

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“We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest. We believe everything is earned, not given,” Cignetti said. “When we fall short, we say we fall short. We don’t cry a river and whine and complain. All right, and that’s why we’re the best.”

That’s a pretty direct shot at the SEC from Cignetti, which comes after the SEC altered their conference schedule to nine games for the 2026 season after the conference felt shorted by the College Football Playoff committee in the past couple years.

“The Big Ten is the best league in football,” Cignetti said. “A lot of really good football teams. It’s hard to win on the road. Very physical football teams, very well coached. It definitely prepares you for the playoffs, there’s no doubt about it, the numbers speak for themselves.”

UCLA is following Indiana’s process, hiring a successful head coach from James Madison and now the Bruins are hoping it’ll lead to the same successes that the Hoosiers enjoyed in 2025.

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Curt Cignetti believes the Big Ten is the top conference in the country

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