Kirby Smart, Curt Cignetti Voted Among Most-Trusted CFB HCs in Poll, Full Results Revealed

Indiana's Curt Cignetti is the reigning national champion in college football, and Georgia's Kirby Smart is the last one to win back-to-back titles.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, their peers trust them to win one game more than any other coaches in the country.

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic surveyed 34 Division I head coaches, assistant coaches and general managers and asked them which coach they trusted the most to win one single game. The only caveat was they could not vote for their own team's head coach, and Smart and Cignetti received a head-turning 82 percent of the votes.

There were only five coaches who received even a single vote:

Coach	Votes
Kirby Smart, Georgia	17
Curt Cignetti, Indiana	11
Bob Chesney, UCLA	3
Jason Eck, New Mexico	2
Willie Fritz, Houston	1

The coaches who did not receive a vote may be as notable as the ones who did. Ohio State's Ryan Day and Clemson's Dabo Swinney are both national champion-winning coaches. Some marquee names such as Marcus Freeman, Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian and Dan Lanning also didn't receive a vote.

Yet UCLA's Bob Chesney, New Mexico's Jason Eck and Houston's Willie Fritz did receive votes.

There is likely something to be said about their ability to win at nontraditional powerhouses, especially in an era where resources devoted to the football program is so important.

However, nobody has done that better than Cignetti.

He took over Indiana when it was the losingest program in college football history and immediately led the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff in his first season and national championship in his second season.

Full Miami (FL) Hurricanes - Indiana Hoosiers Highlights

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"Cignetti has my vote," a head coach said. "I have a special place in my heart for guys that take bad jobs and make them good. Anyone can win at certain places. What he has done is incredible."

The Hoosiers are undefeated once again this season and face a significant challenge with Day's Buckeyes on Saturday.

As for Smart, a wide receivers coach called him a "master motivator" and pointed out "his teams rarely show up flat, regardless of opponent level."

That trait will be tested Saturday, as the Bulldogs face a struggling Auburn squad after a marquee victory over Alabama. Avoiding any type of letdown as the season progresses will be key if Smart's team is going to be a factor in the championship race once again.