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Indiana coach Curt Cignetti made some bold statements at his Big Ten Media Day appearance on Tuesday. Cignetti hit back at some of those who criticized the Hoosiers' selection in the College Football Playoff last season.
In an interview with ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Cignetti discussed how many felt there was an issue with Indiana making the 12-team playoffs in the 2024 season.
“When a newbie like us breaks into the status quo, that’s going to create some waves,” Cignetti said. “A team comes out of nowhere. But everything’s earned, not given. There’s no entitlement.”
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When Indiana entered the 2024 season, not many gave the team a chance to make the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 83 by CBS Sports, No. 81 by The Athletic and No. 77 by ESPN FPI.
Indiana HC Curt Cignetti slams SEC circles at Big Ten Media Day
When pressed further about the Southeastern Conference circles who raised issues with Indiana making the playoffs last season, Curt Cignetti had a straightforward response.
“Nobody deserves to be in the playoffs because they’ve been in the playoffs four of the last five years,” Cignetti said. “Do it on the field. If you get upset by a couple teams, you shouldn’t get upset by it.”
Indiana hired Cignetti in November 2023. He had an excellent start to his career with the Hoosiers in his first season.
Last season, Indiana raced to a 10-0 record before suffering its first loss against Ohio State. The Hoosiers finished the regular season with a dominant 66-0 win over Purdue. Although Indiana made it to the College Football Playoff, Cignetti's team lost to Notre Dame in the first round.
Cignetti led the team to an 11-game winning season, the most in program history. It will be interesting to see if he can guide the Hoosiers all the way to the national championship game next season.
