Indiana coach Curt Cignetti knows just enough about Notre Dame and playoffs to make Hoosiers dangerous in CFP

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The most experienced coach in the College Football Playoff knows exactly who is next on the schedule.

“We were Catholic,” Indiana coach Curt Cignetti reminded CBS Sports of his humble upbringing in Pittsburgh. 

That’s one hint of the next chapter of the Hoosiers’ turnaround.

When “Indiana” popped up on the TV screen as the team playing Notre Dame in the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket there could have been an audible gasp around the Hoosier State.

This is really going to happen.

The worldwide brand in northern Indiana is forced by the CFP to meet the underling from the Big Ten. The schools separated by 200 miles and decades of tradition have met only 29 times, none since 1991. Indiana hasn’t beaten the Fighting Irish since 1950.

But in his office on Sunday, Cignetti was his usual deadpan self with the hype building around him. 

“I’ve played them five times,” Cignetti said of the Irish. “Three and two.”

“Cig” is referring to his record against Notre Dame as a graduate assistant and assistant coach at Pittsburgh, Rice and NC State in a stretch that started 40 years ago. 

That’s all about to change in the first game in the CFP’s 12-team era the night of Dec. 20 at Notre Dame Stadium. Indiana – 11-1, ranked No. 8 in the CFP rankings and a 10th seed in the bracket – has accomplished a lot this season, but Notre Dame is the program that comes complete with its own ghosts, legends and intimidation.

That’s where Cignetti and his Hoosiers think they’ve got this playoff thing whipped. At least on the mental side which is part of how Indiana shocked the nation this season. 

“First of all we’ve got a bunch of guys who have a chip on their shoulders for a long time,” Cignetti explained in what has…

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Author : Dennis Dodd

Publish date : 2024-12-09 17:20:00

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