Curt Cignetti has always been a film junkie. That’s not just coach-speak-it’s who he is.
Long before Indiana earned its spot in the College Football Playoff and drew Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Cignetti was already knee-deep in Crimson Tide tape. Not because he had to.
Because he wanted to.
“I’ve always enjoyed studying coach DeBoer’s offenses from the time he was at Washington,” Cignetti said this week, reflecting on the deep dive he took into Alabama’s system earlier this fall. He was locked in for Alabama’s win over Georgia in Athens back in September, and like most of the college football world, he watched closely as the Tide stormed back to beat Oklahoma in the first round of the Playoff.
That Oklahoma game? It wasn’t just a win-it was a statement.
Down 17 on the road in a hostile environment, Alabama didn’t blink. They clawed their way back and came out on top, showing the kind of grit that defines championship programs.
“To come back from 17 points down and come out with a win, I think it tells you a lot about the character of their football team,” Cignetti said. “They’ve got a lot of great players.
They’re extremely well-coached. So they’re a really good team.
It will be a tremendous challenge.”
That challenge arrives on January 1, when No. 1 Indiana meets No.
9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl (3 p.m. CT, ESPN).
The stakes? A ticket to the Peach Bowl semifinal on January 9 and a shot at the national title.
For Cignetti, this game carries a little extra meaning. He’s no stranger to Tuscaloosa.
From 2007 to 2010, he coached Alabama’s receivers under Nick Saban during the early years of the Tide’s dynasty run. That experience, he says, shaped the coach he is today.
“We had a great experience at Alabama,” Cignetti said. “It was a real important part of my journey.
Learned a lot from coach Saban in terms of organization, standards, stopping complacency. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my time under Nick.”
And where he is today is leading one of the most surprising stories in college football. Indiana, under Cignetti, has gone 24-2 over the past two seasons-a staggering turnaround that’s landed the Hoosiers on the sport’s biggest stage.
Now, with the Rose Bowl looming, Cignetti’s film obsession comes full circle. The coach who studied Alabama for fun now has to find a way to beat them. And he knows exactly what kind of test that is.
“They’re really good,” he said. “It’ll be a tremendous challenge.”
One he’s been preparing for-knowingly or not-for months.