Curt Cignetti’s rise at Indiana has made him one of the most recognizable voices in college football, and now he’s about to share the Big Ten stage with someone who’s gotten a close look at him up close.
USC coach Lincoln Riley said Thursday that the two have developed a friendly back-and-forth during conference meetings, where they often end up seated near each other and talking through different topics. Riley said he first met Cignetti at those early Big Ten gatherings and came away impressed.
“He’s been a fun guy to interact with,” Riley said with a smile during a press conference on Thursday. “I had not met him before that, I was aware of him but that was the first time I met him, was those initial Big Ten meetings. Seems like a fantastic guy, we’ve had fun together there in the meetings.”
Cignetti’s national profile has grown quickly, fueled by wins and a string of memorable lines. He arrived at Indiana and immediately backed up bold talk with results, turning the sport’s losingest program into its national champion in just two years. Before that, he was already building a reputation as a coach who never shies away from a quote, from saying Indiana would soon be playing in the Big Ten Championship Game to answering a question about recruiting with the now-famous, “I win, Google me.”
Riley said the respect goes beyond the sound bites. He pointed to Cignetti’s track record before Indiana and said he was familiar with the kind of work Cignetti had done at smaller programs. Riley, who spent five seasons as offensive coordinator at East Carolina, noted Cignetti’s coaching stops at Davidson and Elon in North Carolina.
“Obviously a coach that I respect a lot, not just the job he’s done at Indiana. I mean, people that follow football know what he’s done, especially there in a part of the world that I was in for a while, so very aware of those programs and the quality of coach that he is.”
In Other News...
USCs Injury Problems Could Change Everything Against Indiana
USC heads into its Week 11 trip to No. 9 Indiana still trying to sort through injury issues that could reshape the way the Trojans approach one of their biggest games of the season. The situation has opened the door for younger players to matter more than they might have expected this early, with freshman running back Shahn Alston and wide receiver Ethan Feaster among the names drawing attention as USC looks for answers and depth.
For Indiana, the matchup figures to be decided in the trenches as much as anywhere else. The Hoosiers have built a strong defensive line, and that puts extra pressure on USCs running game and its own defensive front seven to hold up on the road. If the Trojans are going to keep pace, they may need those developing pieces to contribute quickly while the injury picture continues to hang over the week. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Gets One Encouraging Sign Before Must Win USC Matchup
Josh Hoover appears set to give Indiana a needed boost heading into a must-win matchup with USC. After being left off the teams initial injury report, the quarterback is expected to be available, and coach Curt Cignetti said he would be in uniform as long as he stays clear of the report. For a Hoosiers team trying to steady itself late in the season, simply having Hoover on hand changes the conversation at the most important position on the field.
The rest of the injury picture is less reassuring. Leading rusher Turbo Richard and defensive end Kellan Wyatt have already been ruled out, while cornerback A.J. Harris and linebacker Rolijah Hardy are listed as questionable. Cignetti has not named a starter, so Indiana still has some decisions to sort through before facing USC, but Hoovers status at least gives the Hoosiers a chance to enter the game with a little more stability than they might have had otherwise. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Just Reignited Indianas CFP Respect Debate
The latest College Football Playoff rankings gave Indiana a jolt even without the Hoosiers taking the field in Week 10, and Urban Meyer wasted little time turning that into a broader discussion about where they really belong. The FOX analyst and former coach pointed to Indianas slide from No. 4 to No. 9, using it as a springboard to question whether the committee had overvalued the Hoosiers in the first place, especially given the quality of their wins and the strength of schedule they have faced.
Meyers comments land at a time when the playoff picture is tightening around the Big Ten and Big 12, with Notre Dame and UCLA also climbing in the latest rankings. For Indiana, the issue is no longer just where it sits in the poll, but whether its early respect was earned or simply a product of a committee that is still sorting out how to weigh unbeaten records against the week-to-week reality of who teams have actually beaten. [Read more 🡒]