Curt Cignetti may want the conversation to be about Indiana football, but his latest Notre Dame comments only kept the Irish in the spotlight.
On a recent Big Ten Network appearance, Cignetti was asked about Indiana canceling a home-and-home series with Notre Dame, and he made it clear he wanted the matchup tilted heavily in the Hoosiers’ favor. “I’d like to play Notre Dame. They ought to come to our place twice, and we’ll go there once, since they’re not in a conference.”
The line was meant to sound forceful. Instead, it landed like another reminder that Notre Dame has had Indiana’s number for a long time. The Hoosiers backed out of the series that was supposed to begin in 2030, and that decision only added another layer to a history that has not gone Indiana’s way.
The most recent meeting didn’t help the argument either. Before Indiana faced Marcus Freeman’s team in the opening round of the 2024 College Football Playoff, Cignetti had already talked boldly. But Jeremiyah Love, Riley Leonard and the rest of the Irish rolled the Big Ten school in South Bend on their way to the national title game.
And if the recent matchup wasn’t enough, the broader series tells an even tougher story for Indiana. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 24-1-5 in 30 meetings, has won seven straight, and has taken 21 of the last 22 games since a scoreless tie in 1907. The 2024 game was also the first time the programs had met since 1958.
That’s why Cignetti’s posture rings a little hollow. Indiana has now stepped away from the series, and the coach’s tough talk can’t quite cover up the fact that the move leaves his program looking like the one that ducked the fight.
There’s also a bit of irony in how this played out. Indiana’s decision to cancel the 2030 and 2031 games helped open the door for USC and Notre Dame to reschedule their historic rivalry. So while Cignetti was trying to frame the situation as Notre Dame needing Indiana more, the larger picture pointed the other way.
None of this is new territory for Cignetti, who has been outspoken since arriving in Bloomington. But in this case, his swagger clashes with the tone he struck just weeks earlier.
“I mean, we don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest,” Cignetti said July 30. “We believe everything’s earned, not given.
And when we fall short, we say, ‘We fell short.’ We don’t cry a river, whine, and complain.
All right? And that’s why we’re the best.”
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