Fair warning to Howard: Curt Cignetti has found something to be angry about your Sept. 12 trip to Bloomington.
No, Cignetti is not picking on the FCS program, he’s getting ready for the 2026 season — a campaign that features an entirely new dynamic for the 65-year-old head coach: The defense of a national title.
One of the mainstays of Cignetti’s championship culture is the elimination of complacency.
You’ve likely heard him recite the program dogma.
There’s no smiling on the sideline with a big lead. Every play has a life of its low. Never too high, never too low. There are no warm fuzzies.
We could go on and on with the Cignetti-isms. But the bottom line — the man is at war with complacency.
Even as the reigning national champion, Cignetti is not planning to change much about the day-to-day operation of his program. After all, it has worked out pretty well to this point.
And one of the features of his approach finding an edge, and ensuring he is coaching and the team is playing with a chip on their shoulders.
There are early indicators the players have turned the page.
You don’t see or hear much in around the practice facility or Memorial Stadium that suggests anything significant happened in January. Since his arrival, Wisconsin transfer offensive lineman Joe Brunner said he never hears anything about last season. He says the team is locked in, professional, and all about 2026.
But Cignetti isn’t going rest assuming things will take care of themselves.
One of his favorite tools is identifying something about each opponent the team can rally around. A common theme over the last two years has been disrespect directed at the Hoosiers. But that’s where things are a little different this time around.
While not everyone believes IU will successfully defend its national title, you won’t find much disrespect or doubt directed towards Indiana these days.
So Cignetti is finding it. Every once in a while you’ll hear clues that he’s paying attention to what the outside world is saying. And he’s been working on that recently.
Cignetti has found something to get the competitive juices flowing for every game this fall.
“I wrote down my 12 chips,” Cignetti told Adam Breneman in a lengthy sit down interview. “We play 12 teams.”
Cignetti is not revealing the chip on his shoulder for Howard or anyone else on the 2026 schedule, but he did explain where his competitive streak comes from.
“When I grew up, there wasn’t much to do,” Cignetti said. “You played basketball, baseball, football, you played sports in the back. You were always competing. And you become a competitor, right? And you like to win. Well, I always competed best when I was angry. When I didn’t like the guy I was competing against, that always brought out the best in me.
“So I mean I’ll find some things.”
Some will be easier than others.
Already there are predictions IU will lose at Michigan, where the Hoosiers haven’t won in nearly 60 years.
And many believe Ohio State will return to the top of the Big Ten this season.
But all 12? Even Howard?
“Absolutely.”
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