If Curt Cignetti has any plans to stop being edgy in 2025, he didn’t start on Thursday.
The now second-year head coach posted on X a photo from his office at Memorial Stadium, and a seemingly motivational message that reflects his program culture.
“Get better today! Structured, organized and relentless work creates opportunities,” Cignetti said in his post.
The photo included a step plan on Cignetti’s desk for Indiana to accomplish its program goals. But conspicuously placed on top of that was Cignetti’s hand written “Post Season Top 5.”
And it was not a list of IU’s top five post season goals. Instead, Cignetti named the top five teams in college football at the end of the 2025 season.
Cignetti does not vote in the actual NCAA Coaches Poll, so this was nothing more than a statement.
Indiana has been a punching bag for many national commentators over the last few months, as they raised questions about the program’s worthiness to play in the College Football Playoff. Many argued that three-loss SEC teams like Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina should have been invited to the CFP over one-loss IU.
The noise got louder after IU lost in the CFP first round at Notre Dame, but then went silent as the SEC struggled in the postseason.
Cignetti did not include SEC teams in his version of the final top five, just days ahead of a CFP championship game that, as it turned out, includes the only two teams to beat the Hoosiers all season — Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Here’s Cignetti’s top-five, with a healthy amount of Big Ten bias — and no SEC teams:
1. National champion
2. Runner-up
3. Oregon
4. Indiana / Penn State
5. Penn State / Indiana
CIGNETTI RECEIVES WALTER CAMP AWARD, GIVES SPEECH AT AFCA CONVENTION
After flipping IU from 9-27 over the last three years to 11-2 and a CFP participant, Cignetti won every national coach of the year honor he was eligible to receive.
This week he received the Walter Camp Coach of the Year trophy, and spoke at the American Football Coaches Association convention.
Presenting the Walter Camp Coach of the Year. pic.twitter.com/90dEPNp1Bd
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) January 15, 2025
“The difference between being good and great? Mmm.”
Curt Cignetti at his AFCA National Coach of the Year speech:pic.twitter.com/XQvlHgI0MQ— Mike Schumann @ The Daily Hoosier (@daily_hoosier) January 14, 2025
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