It has been a long time since Indiana football has been relevant in the Big Ten. Outside of their outlier season in 2020, when they started the year 6-1 with wins over Penn State and Michigan, the school has been at the bottom of the Big Ten for the majority of the last decade-plus, so when first-year head coach Curt Cignetti teased the Hoosiers being a force in the Big Ten at his media days press conference this week in Indianapolis, the reaction from the media was mixed.
Cignetti is coming over from James Madison University after successfully leading the program to an 11-2 record last season. Like Indiana, the Duke were not expected to be a powerhouse team in the Sun Belt conference last season and came out of nowhere to win the conference. “I have been picked next to last twice, which we are predicted to finish 17th out of an 18-team league, and I get it. The two times we were picked last, in 2022, we won the conference championship, and in 2017, we played JMU the last game of the season for the conference championship. Now, I am not into making predictions, but that’s a historical fact.”
"Now, I'm not into making predictions. That's just a historical fact."
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) July 25, 2024
New @IndianaFootball coach Curt Cignetti shares the good fortunes of his previous teams that were picked next-to-last in the preseason polls.#B1GFootball x #B1GMediaDays pic.twitter.com/JPGvKbUu7V
Cignetti addressed later in his press conference that he understands this is the Big Ten, and the competition is the best in college football, so maybe a leap from 17 to the top isn’t the most realistic; however, Cignetti’s track record of improving poor-performing teams has to excite Hoosier fans to potentially being in the mix for a bowl game this season.
Indiana is coming off three straight seasons with less than four wins, including a 3-9 record a season ago. With Cignetti’s track record, the Hoosiers could improve their performance. With a schedule that does not include Oregon, Penn State, or USC, if the Hoosiers can play well-balanced football up until their date with Ohio State, the team could be playing in the post-season.
