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The state of Indiana is no stranger to underdog stories. Hoosiers and Rudy, two of the most iconic underdog sports films ever made, both take place in the state, and both are based on true stories. Hoosier nation now has a trilogy. Indiana University’s football team had been a Big Ten doormat for as long as the conference had existed. Then, athletic director Scott Dolson hired Curt Cignetti as head coach, and Cignetti embarked on the greatest turnaround story in modern college sports. In just his second season, he led the Hoosiers to their first-ever national championship, defeating the University of Miami Hurricanes, 27-21, on Monday night, and completing a perfect season that nobody saw coming. Well, except for Cignetti himself. It took more than just one person, but Cignetti was the catalyst that eventually catapulted IU to the top of the sport. Here’s a look at some key numbers from an unforgettable Hoosiers season. 16-0 Indiana became the first major college football team to go 16-0 in a single season since Yale in 1894. The caveat being that those Bulldogs didnt play all 16 games against other colleges, mixing in a few games against athletic clubs. $93 million Cignetti has signed three different contracts with Indiana: his initial contract in November 2023, an extension worth $8 million per year in November 2024, and then a behemoth extension worth nearly $93 million over eight years in October 2025. 3 Through that last contract, Cignetti is entitled to a good-faith market review and renegotiation that makes him no less than the third-highest-paid Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) coach should the Hoosiers make it to the College Football Playoff semifinal. Thanks to Coach Lane Kiffins contract at LSU, Cignetti will be due for another raise shortly. 5 Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza became just the fifth quarterback in the last 75 years to win the Heisman Trophy while leading his team to an undefeated national championship. He joins Joe Burrow (LSU, 2019), Jameis Winston (Florida State, 2013), Cam Newton (Auburn, 2010), and Matt Leinart (USC, 2004) in that club. Mendoza is currently –8000 to join Burrow, Winston, and Newton as first overall NFL Draft picks as well. 12 Mendozas 12-yard touchdown run on 4th down and five with just under ten minutes to play is the most memorable play from the game. The Hoosiers dialed up a designed quarterback run, and the Miami native made a juke move to gain the first down, then powered through multiple would-be tacklers to dive over the goal line for the score. 715 Entering the 2025 season, Indianas 715 all-time losses were the most by any program in major college football. Conference foe Northwestern lost its 716th game against USC on November 7th, taking the dubious honor from the Hoosiers. 2.5x Indianas football budget rose more than 2.5x from 2021 to 2024, when the budget was last reported at just over $61 million. That figure likely climbed even more from 2024 to 2025, with the Hoosiers going all in on Cignetti. The 2024 mark was the first time since at least 2005 that IU has exceeded the median Big Ten football budget. 24 Indiana University is not a stranger to winning national championships, football notwithstanding. The Hoosiers have won 24 NCAA team championships between six different sports, including five in mens basketball. The last NCAA Championship that IU won was mens soccer in 2012, when it defeated Georgetown. .798 Curt Cignettis winning percentage as a head college football coach ranks among the most impressive in the country. Between Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania, FCS Elon, James Madison (in both FCS and FBS), and now, Indiana, hes won 146 of his 183 games. Nick Saban widely regarded as the greatest college football coach ever won just a shade over 80% of his games. Its not the highest mark of all time (Mount Union legend Vince Kehres won over 92% of his games, coaching Division III) or even in his own conference (Ohio States Ryan Day has won 87% of his games) but considering the circumstances, he keeps pretty special company. He wins. Google him. +10,000 Per Sportsoddshistory.com, Indiana was +10,000 to win the national championship in the preseason. No other national champion dating back to the start of the database (2001) had preseason odds longer than +5000. The Hoosiers had the same odds as Florida State, which went 5-7, Nebraska, which went 7-6, and USC, which went 9-4. $10.90 The amount Cignetti spends every day on his Chipotle Burrito Bowl for his lunch in the office. Chicken, beans, rice, and a side of guac.
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Netflix exceeded Wall Street’s revenue estimates for its holiday quarter, as it crossed 325 million subscribers, the company said on Tuesday. Revenue came in at $12.1 billion for October through Decembertopping forecasts of $11.97 billion for the quarter, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG. Nielsen reported that Netflix’s monthly viewership rose 10% in December, thanks largely to the final season of hit sci-fi series “Stranger Things,” which generated 15 billion viewing minutes. Netflix also streamed two National Football League games on Christmas Day and released a third film in the “Knives Out” murder mystery series. Investors remain focused on Netflix’s $82.7 billion pursuit of Warner Bros Discovery’s studio and other entertainment assets, as it seeks to fend off a hostile bid from Paramount Skydance. Netflix amended its merger agreement to an all-cash offer for the film and television studios, its extensive content library, and major entertainment franchises, including “Game of Thrones,” “Harry Potter,” and DC Comics’ superheroes like Batman and Superman. “Our revised all-cash agreement will enable an expedited timeline to a stockholder vote and provide greater financial certainty,” Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a statement accompanying Tuesday’s amended bid. In its note to investors, Netflix said the Warner Bros acquisition will provide it with an even broader and higher-quality selection of movies and shows for its subscribers, while it will be able to offer more personalized, flexible subscription offers with the addition of HBO Max. The company said it obtained commitments for a $59 billion bridge loan on December 4 to support the Warner acquisition. On Monday, it increased the bridge loan commitment by $8.2 billion to support its all-cash $27.75 per share offer. In financial results, Netflix reported adjusted per-share earnings of 56 cents for the fourth quarter ended in December, slightly above estimates of 55 cents per share. Netflix forecasts continued growth in 2026, with revenue of $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion. Ad revenue is expected to roughly double, Netflix said. Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine, Reuters
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Below, Chris Duffy shares five key insights from his new book, Humor Me: How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy. Chris is a comedian, television writer, and the host of TEDs award-winning How to Be a Better Human podcast. Chris wrote for both seasons of Wyatt Cenacs Problem Areas on HBO, executive-produced by John Oliver. He is both a former fifth-grade teacher and a former fifth-grade student. Whats the big idea? Humor isnt just about being funny. When we notice, share, and even save the small absurdities of everyday life, laughter can make us more relatable, more curious, and better able to connect, think, and work together. Listen to the audio version of this Book Biteread by Chris himselfbelow, or in the Next Big Idea App. 1. People like you more if youre a little bit of a mess. Many of us spend so much energy and stress trying to get things to be perfect. I know I do. Ive wasted countless hours trying to hide my flaws from other people, especially strangers. But it turns out that not only is that a battle Im never going to win, but its counterproductive. One of my favorite studies had study subjects rate potential job candidates (who were secretly in on the experiment). When asked to rate high-performing candidates and average candidates, study participants preferred the high performers. No surprise there. But the highest-rated candidates of all were the high performers who had also just spilled coffee all over themselves before walking in the door. In other words, we want you to be able to do your job, but we dont mind if youre kind of a mess. In fact, we prefer it! Youre relatable. Now, Im not suggesting that you dump scalding hot coffee on yourself before your next high-stakes interview. But I am suggesting that being willing to openly acknowledge and laugh at your flaws and imperfections wont undermine your success, it will enhance it. Nobody likes a perfect goody two-shoes; everyone loves a person whos a bit of a mess but trying their best. 2. Looking for laughs can lead to big, serious ideas. Millions of people are alive today because of the discovery of penicillin. But when Alexander Fleming walked into the lab and saw penicillin for the first time, he didnt shout Eureka! Instead, he walked up to a dirty petri dish that had been left out overnight and said, Thats funny, before taking a culture of the mold. The idea of seeing something odd and funny and then investigating it has led to many breakthroughs. In fact, every year, hundreds of the worlds most brilliant thinkers converge in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the Ig Nobel Prizes. If youre not already familiar with the Ig Nobels, theyre a lot like the Nobel Prizes. But instead of recognizing the most world-changing achievements in physics, chemistry, and peace, the Ig Nobels recognize the most hilarious discoveries of the year. Their slogan is Research that makes people laugh, then think. The idea of seeing something odd and funny and then investigating it has led to many breakthroughs. The winners are people who have published papers on things like constipated scorpions or what happens if you use a crash test dummy thats shaped like a moose. An international team won the Ig Nobel Prize in Literature for studying the sensations people feel when they repeat a single word many, many, many, many, many, many, many times. Or Georgia Tech scientists were awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering a universal urination duration. Using fluid dynamics, they demonstrated that all mammals weighing over three kilograms take about twenty-one seconds to completely empty a full bladder. So why would actual Nobel Laureates and celebrated geniuses from around the world make time in their busy schedules to attend an event like this? For one, its fun. I attended the 2024 Ig Nobels, and it was hilarious and an absolute blast. But the Ig Nobels attract such a distinguished crowd for another reason as well! These people are smart enough to know that when it comes to big ideas, a laugh is never just a laugh. Following your sense of humor makes you pay more attention and be intellectually open to new, surprising insights and observations. 3. You dont have to be the center of attention to have a great sense of humor. I am a glutton for attention. I love talking to strangers, and I have built my career around happily getting up in front of crowds to share my thoughts. Im a tried-and-true extrovert. My wife, Mollie, on the other hand, is an introvert who would much rather be curled up at home with a good book than chatting with a neighbor on the bus. But heres the thing: Mollie has an incredible sense of humor! People often make the mistake of thinking that a sense of humor means youre at a party, in the middle of a large group, loudly telling a joke. In fact, it could just as easily be that you are on a walk alone when you notice an extremely chubby squirrel going to town on an acorn. The point is that youre bringing laughter into your daily life and enjoying the delightful absurdity of the world that you might otherwise have missed. People often make the mistake of thinking that a sense of humor means youre at a party, in the middle of a large group, loudly telling a joke. And if youre curious, Mollie really did see that jumbo squirrel having the time of its life. Even just hearing her report secondhand later in the day, I was clutching my sides too at that little squirrel feast. 4. If you want a group to work well together, try being like Abraham Lincoln. When Abraham Lincoln assembled his famous team of rivals, he had a cabinet full of brilliant statesmen. There was only one problem: They mostly hated each other, and they didnt particularly like him. So how did Honest Abe turn the group of rival politicians into a team? Lincolns answer was, in part, to laugh with them. To create a group identity with inside jokes, folksy anecdotes, and shared humor. Everyone who knew Lincoln knew he had no shortage of jokes. One contemporary said Lincolns jokes were as plenty as blackberries. And if theres one thing we know about blackberries, its that there are lots of them. Modern portrayals of Lincoln tend to paint him as a serious and tragic figure, for understandable reasons. But much of Lincolns skill as a politician and leader was his ability to connect with people by getting them laughing. Benjamin P. Thomas, a Lincoln scholar, wrote that Lincoln was ready with an instant witticism or retort under almost any circumstances. One excellent example of Lincolns humor is a joke he made about himself being ugly. During the Lincoln-Douglas debates, when he was accused of being two-faced, Lincoln responded, Honestly, if I were two-faced, would I be showing you this one? A very solid self-burn! Bob Mankoff, the former cartoon editor for The New Yorker, has long been interested in Lincolns humor. In an essay, he wrote that Lincoln was much more about laughingwith than laughing at. And when laughing at, it was often himself he was mocking. Much of Lincolns skill as a politician and leader was his ability to connect with people by getting them laughing. That Lincoln-style congeniality and empathy can help disarm detractors and create a more comfortable space for positive group dynamics to form. There are evolutionary reasons to suspect that this may be one of the earliest and most important functions of humor. Animal behavior experts have long observed that chimpanzees and other primates engage in an equivalent of human laughter. After laughing together, primates are often more relaxed and less aggressive. If it works for chimps, it might work for your colleagues at the office, too! 5. You can stockpile laughter in a file folder. If youre anything like me, you can instantly recall humiliating and embarrassing moments from decades ago. I will often be in the shower minding my own business when all of a sudden I have a vivid recollection of something horrifying, like the time I had a phone conversation with my crush in high school and it ended with her saying I dont think I have a crush on you anymore because you talk too much. Or when I was in one of my first ever big deal meetings with a TV executive, I told her I hated reality TV and then turned around to see a giant poster for the show Jersey Shore with her name listed as one of the producers. Its no challenge for me to give a vivid play-by-play of any one of thousands of cringeworthy interactions. But ask me to give you an equivalent retelling of the funniest jokes and best laughs Ive had, and it takes a lot more effort. We tend to forget the laughs and retain the skin-crawling mortification. But you can change that! Every time you find something that makes you laugh uncontrollably, write it down or find a way to experience it again. Maybe its a list on your computer of the online videos that make you cry tears of laughter, a jar full of Post-it notes with inside jokes from your marriage, or an album of the most hilariously bad photos youve ever taken of your kids or your friends. The form it takes isnt particularly important, but your ability to re-access a good laugh when you need it is. Every time you find something that makes you laugh uncontrollably, write it down or find a way to experience it again. When I interviewed the care team at a Hong Kong nursing home about the wildly successful humor program they had implemented, they told me that residents in the program had needed less pain medicine, felt more connected, and experienced an increase in life satisfaction. One of the biggest parts of their program was simply keeping a folder of writing, cartoons, images, and jokes that made them laugh and then sharing it with others. Thats a prescription that any of us can try, and theres no copay. Enjoy our full library of Book Bitesread by the authors!in the Next Big Idea App. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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