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Curt Cignetti pushes back on SEC criticism of IU’s Playoff bid: ‘You shouldn’t get upset’
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti isn’t about to apologize for the way his Hoosiers came out of nowhere to crash the College Football Playoff last season.
During his first season in Bloomington, Cignetti delivered double-digit wins in a massive turnaround for Indiana. The end result was a trip to the first-ever 12-team Playoff, a journey that would ultimately end with a loss to Notre Dame on the road.
While the Hoosiers had a strong regular-season record, many around the country outside of the Big Ten were critical of Indiana’s inclusion. The schedule was not especially tough, though the team did blow out many overmatched opponents, and a trio of 9-win teams in the SEC that consisted of Ole Miss, Alabama and South Carolina was especially vocal about the fact they played tougher schedules during the year.
Ahead of Big Ten Media Days, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg caught up with Cignetti and asked him about the “grumbling” about his team’s inclusion. Cignetti admitted it always creates “some waves” when a new person breaks up the old status quo, but it shows that his team earned it:
“When a newbie like us breaks into the status quo, that’s going to create some waves. A team comes out of nowhere. But everything’s earned, not given. There’s no entitlement,” Curt Cignetti claimed.
Specifically asked about SEC circles that felt his team didn’t belong, Cignetti said no team should be given a leg up because they’ve been in the field in the past:
“Nobody deserves to be in the playoffs because they’ve been in the playoffs four of the last five years,” said Cignetti. “Do it on the field. If you get upset by a couple teams, you shouldn’t get upset by it.”
In other words: If you don’t like it, do something about it.
We’ll see if the Hoosiers can double up on trips to the Playoff this fall, but they won’t have the element of surprise on their side this time. It’s also worth monitoring if the CFP Committee shows any adjustments to their selection criteria after the way Indiana performed against Notre Dame.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.