Ep 1331 - Championship Recap with Connor Onion

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