Curt Cignetti's bold pregame statements about Indiana's ability to dominate top-tier teams are coming under heavy fire as the Hoosiers are getting trounced by Notre Dame in their College Football Playoff debut.
The Indiana Hoosiers were the beneficiary of one of the easiest — if not the easiest — schedule in the Big Ten, and frankly, the Power-4 this season. The Hoosiers played absolutely no one out-of-conference and only had to play Ohio State out of the teams in the top of the Big Ten, a game they lost.
As Indiana took the field on Friday night against Notre Dame, we simply weren't sold that the Hoosiers had a chance in actually competing. Through the first half, they proved us correct.
At halftime, Indiana was down 17-3 and other than a tip interception, the game had been dominated by Notre Dame.
Fans and analysts alike are taking to social media, pointing out that Indiana's performance tonight doesn’t back up Cignetti’s brash claim earlier today that his team could "beat the s--t" out of top-25 programs.
Indiana has no wins vs. Top-25 teams in 2024.
— Matthew C. (@MattLovesVinyl) December 20, 2024
Last I checked Indiana beat a Nebraska team who was ranked when they played & finished 6-6. They beat one other bowl eligible team…not sure the math maths here.
— Jake Hatch (Yawk) Utah Hockey Club Aficionado (@JacobCHatch) December 21, 2024
Thanks for the tags, everyone*
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) December 21, 2024
*This reply does not constitute a prediction by me. It simply serves to inform everyone that I have, in fact, seen this tweet.
"we beat the shit out of every team we play.... UNLESS that team has the slightest bit of talent and even a smidge of coaching"
— Luke Robinson (@LSRobinson21) December 21, 2024
Curt Cignetti, probably
James Franklin and Ryan Day watching Curt Cignetti choke in a big game #CFP2024 #cfpplayoff pic.twitter.com/mZjwkOexNu
— Matt (@yourmomMD) December 21, 2024
Curt Cignetti is the biggest fraud in college football.
— Jaron Miller (@J_RON_24) December 21, 2024
If the score holds up, this loss stings even more after Cignetti's remarks earlier in the week, where he proudly reminisced about his coaching roots under Nick Saban while emphasizing his own fearless coaching style. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, it appears Notre Dame didn’t take kindly to the trash talk, as they’ve dominated Indiana at every turn on the field.
Many are questioning if Indiana was even ready for the pressure of the College Football Playoff stage or if their schedule this season gave them a false sense of security. While Cignetti’s confidence has served as a rallying point for his team all year, tonight's lopsided game has sparked debates about whether the Hoosiers ever belonged in the playoff conversation.
The College Football Playoff continues on Saturday with three more first-round matchups.