Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to scheduling Notre Dame. He threw down a wild challenge: the Hoosiers would love to play the Fighting Irish, but only if Notre Dame comes to Memorial Stadium twice for every single trip Indiana makes to Notre Dame Stadium. Yeah, you heard that right.
“They Ought To Come To Our Place Twice”
Cignetti made his position crystal clear during a Big Ten Network interview with Dave Revsine on Friday. “Yeah, I’d like to play Notre Dame. They ought to come to our place twice, and we’ll go up there once, since they’re not in a conference,” he declared. The man is all about conference pride, plain and simple. He even called it “a great in-state game.” But let’s be real, you know Notre Dame probably isn’t thrilled about that proposal. Memorial Stadium in Bloomington holds 53,524 fans, while Notre Dame Stadium dwarfs it with a capacity of 77,622 spectators. It’s a bold ask, but Cignetti isn’t afraid to ask for what he wants from a team not in a conference.
The National Champ Coach’s New Philosophy
This isn’t the first time Notre Dame and Indiana have been linked. Back in 2021, a home-and-home series was set for the 2030 and 2031 seasons. But Indiana, under the guidance of its athletics officials and Coach Cignetti, decided to back out of that agreement. The Athletic’s Pete Sampson reported the Hoosiers walked away, leading Notre Dame to replace them by renewing its rivalry with USC for those very same years in a four-year contract. Look, Cignetti wasn’t even the head coach when that original deal was made; he only took over in 2024 and then, wait for it, led the team to the 2025 national championship! The man knows what he’s doing. His preference, and the athletic department’s, is to fill non-conference schedules with non-Power 4 opponents. This season, they’re playing North Texas from the American Conference, FCS program Howard, and Western Kentucky from Conference USA. Next year it’s Kennesaw State, Indiana State, and UMass before Big Ten play even starts. It’s a clear shift in strategy.
Big Ten Pride and SEC Shade
Cignetti isn’t just about scheduling, he’s about swagger. He took a direct shot at the SEC, saying, “We figured we would just adopt an SEC scheduling philosophy.” Ouch! He then went on to pump up the Big Ten, calling it the best conference out there. “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.” That “since they don’t play in a conference” line about Notre Dame? It’s not just Cignetti. Other Big Ten coaches, like Illinois’ Bret Bielema, share that exact sentiment. While some Big Ten programs like Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Purdue will still play Notre Dame this season for that national exposure, Cignetti and Indiana are opting out. Their philosophy is simple: the Big Ten schedule is tough enough already, with opponents like Ohio State, USC, and trips to Michigan, Nebraska, and Washington on the slate. They’re not looking for extra headaches outside their conference grind.
So, Notre Dame, the ball’s in your court. Coach Cignetti has made his terms known. Will the Fighting Irish accept a truly “in-state” challenge on Indiana’s turf, or will this intriguing matchup remain a tantalizing what-if?
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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