Indiana football took a gut punch in the new College Football Playoff rankings, plummeting from No. 4 to No. 9 during their bye week, without even playing a game. That’s right, the Hoosiers went from a first-round bye right out of a hosting spot, all while their guys were chilling on the couch. Coach Curt Cignetti, though? He was apparently stewing in his “well-worn recliner,” and he clearly had enough.
Cignetti Goes Full Emoji Warrior on the Committee
You know it’s bad when a coach hits social media with clown emojis. Cignetti took to the internet to send a sharp barb straight at the committee. His posts? “Bad losses don’t count anymore? (with six crying laughing emojis)” and then, the kicker, “Are first downs still 10 yards? (with three clown face emojis).” Look, an 8-1 team, the defending national champs, dropping five spots without touching the field? That’s some wild stuff, even if you can argue they might have been a bit overranked at No. 4 without a marquee win. Their only loss, by the way, was to Ohio State, a team that was No. 2 at the time, and it came down to a few inches of Nick Marsh’s foot with Julian Sayin playing. Tough break.
“Pretzel Logic” and the SEC Love Affair
It gets even more twisted when you look at who leaped over Indiana. Sure, UCLA is unbeaten and looked good handling Minnesota on the road, unlike Indiana needing overtime and a prayer to beat the Gophers at home. And Notre Dame’s win over then-No. 1 Miami? Totally worthy of a jump. But here’s where Cignetti’s frustration makes total sense: *three* two-loss SEC teams are ranked above Indiana. Texas, also above the Hoosiers, has losses to a 5-4 Oklahoma and a 5-4 Florida. And Georgia, ranked No. 1 with zero questions asked, lost to a 5-4 Auburn team! Committee chairman Hunter Yurachek said Alabama keeps getting credit for beating Mississippi State when Kamario Taylor was healthy. So Cignetti’s probably wondering, why isn’t Indiana getting the same credit for losing to a healthy, No. 2 Ohio State? Yurachek’s explanation that Indiana was “probably the victim of having a bye week at the wrong time” just sounds like some Grade A pretzel logic.
Cignetti didn’t just stick to social media, either. He went off on his radio show back on November 4, saying the “SEC gets a lot of love from ESPN and all their writers that they don’t technically pay but march to their drum.” He added, “That’s why you see all these SEC teams up there, and some good two-loss teams from the Big Ten not quite as high.” He’s not wrong about the perception, right?
The Hoosiers get their chance at a true marquee win finally this week. They’re hosting No. 18 Southern Cal, a 7-2 squad, in Bloomington. USC is sandwiched right between three-loss SEC teams South Carolina (No. 17) and Ole Miss (No. 19). It’s going to be a massive game, and Cignetti knows it. As he said, “it’s all going to be played out on the field.” He better hope so, because the committee isn’t doing them any favors. Go get ’em, Hoosiers!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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