The past few weeks have brought College Football programs, conferences, and head coaches into the spotlight as each program held its Media Days events. Two of the biggest stars of their respective Media Days were Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti and SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee. The two took shots at the SEC, which has become popular as of late with the College Football Playoff expansion lying in the balance.
Curt Cignetti was asked about why he canceled a game against Virginia to which he called out how the SEC schedules its Non-Conference games.
"We figure we'd adopt an SEC scheduling mindset."Curt Cignetti
SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee, on the other hand, chose to call out the SEC over the notion that they're the deepest conference, citing how many programs have won the Championship.
"The SEC has had the same six schools win the championship since 1964. Not a single one has been different since 1964. That’s top-heavy to me. That’s not depth."Rhett Lashlee
When Curt Cignetti and Rhett Lashlee both decided to take shots at the SEC, the two appeared to be a united front. Curt Cignetti's program was criticized all year by opposing programs, especially by SEC programs, who felt their teams with worse records were better teams. Rhett Lashlee's team was the subject of heavy debate when they lost the ACC Championship Game as SEC teams felt they deserved the spot more.
It turns out that Rhett Lashlee isn't exactly on the same page as Curt Cignetti when it comes to their stances on the SEC. Rhett Lashlee appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show where he took a massive shot at Curt Cignetti for being hypocritical.
Rhett Lashlee contrasts the shot he took at the SEC vs the shot taken by Curt Cignetti:
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) July 28, 2025
"I just brought up a historical fact...I didn't throw shade at SEC scheduling when I didn't play a Power 4 team on my schedule, myself." pic.twitter.com/dG0CjWFvcN
Curt Cignetti called out the SEC for not scheduling Power 4 opponents in Non-Conference play when he's done the same thing himself. Before canceling the game against Virginia this year, the Hoosiers faced FIU, Western Illinois, and Charlotte which helped his program earn a bid into the College Football Playoff.
While Curt Cignetti wants to make his case about the SEC not playing some of the best teams in other conferences, he's refusing to admit why he truly canceled the Virginia game. In the expanded College Football Playoff format, you don't need to take any risks, even if the Cavaliers aren't a strong team. The most likely reason that Indiana canceled the game is to get an extra Home game, which will help drive revenue, which is key in the revenue-sharing era.