Curt Cignetti, the Indiana Hoosiers head coach who just guided his team to a national championship last season, is out here talking to the Big Ten Network saying he’d “love to play” Notre Dame and that they ought to “come to our place twice” and IU only go there once. Seriously, he said that, on August 15, 2026, about wanting a “great in-state game.” You can’t make this stuff up, because this is the same guy whose athletic department *just cancelled* a scheduled home and home series against Notre Dame! The audacity is absolutely wild.
The “Backstory” That Cignetti “Doesn’t Quite Know”
Cignetti tried to play it cool during the interview, rambling about how he didn’t “quite know” the backstory to this rivalry and just dismissing it with an “It is what it is.” He even threw in a jab about the Big 10 schedule being “pretty darn tough too,” as if that excuses anything. The truth, and everyone knows it, is that Cignetti and the entire Indiana athletic department are too flat-out scared to play ANYONE out of conference that isn’t from the Group of Six or FCS. This guy is literally following a script of ducking real competition, and he said the quiet part out loud by talking about his “tough” conference schedule, which is exactly why he avoids out-of-conference challenges.
Championship or Not, The Cupcake Model Is Clear
Cignetti has openly bragged about his scheduling strategy, calling it the “SEC model,” which means loading up on cupcakes. Look, he did win a national championship in 2025, which is an incredible feat and something absolutely no one thought could be done. Because of that trophy, the media mostly gave him a pass on this “cupcake” approach. But this Notre Dame cancellation? That’s where the pass expired, and his real personality is shining through. The last time these teams faced off, Notre Dame beat Indiana badly in the first campus playoff game in FBS history. That pounding came after a week of Cignetti talking all sorts of crap about being a team that beats top 25 opponents, which was a huge stretch at the time. Notre Dame embarrassed him and sent him packing, simple as that.
Sure, Curt got his “revenge” by winning the title in 2026, but let’s be real, they never actually had to play Notre Dame again on the field. Even with that championship trophy in hand, it’s hard to be a legitimate smug jerk to a team that made you look like an absolute idiot. This offseason has seen the media focus much more on the Irish and their title chances than on the reigning champs, and you gotta think Cignetti is just jealous. After the season he had, it’s crazy to be jealous, but the fear of playing Notre Dame is obvious.
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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