This is not a drill: IU football, yes football, is the Big Ten champion

Led by a suffocating defense and some clutch throws by likely Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers played the top-ranked Buckeyes off their feet.

We saw it happen, live and in living color. Curt Cignetti smiled. It wasn’t one of those wry smiles, those smirks he proffers accompanied by a devilish wink of an eye. No, for one minute standing atop the victory podium, holding the Big Ten Championship trophy aloft, Cignetti was beaming.

And why wouldn’t he?

His top-ranked Hoosiers had just pulled off the minor upset – it was not a major upset, understand that – playing Ohio State off its feet and beating the Buckeyes 13-10 at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday night.

Let this marinate for a while: IU is the Big Ten champion for the first time since they shared the title in 1967. IU is going to be the No. 1 team in the nation. This is not real life. This is a miracle. The Misfits, so named by center Pat Coogan, got it done. And it was glorious.

Look at Cignetti. Look at him smile. It usually requires the Jaws of Life to get a smile out of Cignetti, who’s always thinking of the next mountain to climb.

After thanking the school’s president and athletic director, Cignetti morphed back into character because there’s always another mountain to climb. “Now I’ve got 3 ½ weeks to get them hungry and humble for the playoff games,” he told Fox’s Joel Klatt during the post-game ceremony.