Curt Cignetti serves a cold message to the CFP selection committee as Hoosiers awaits opponent

Curt Cignetti led Indiana to an unbelievable season in 2024. The Hoosiers were projected to finish last in the Big Ten standings last season. However, the coach had an immediate impact on the team in his first season, leading them to an 11-1 record.

Indiana missed out on the Big Ten championship game through tie-breakers. However, the Hoosiers are now projected to get a place in the 12-team College Football Playoff. They were ranked ninth in the latest ranking released by the CFP selection committee.

Nonetheless, Curt Cignetti is questioning his team’s position in the ranking. In his appearance on CBS’ Big Ten championship game pregame show, the coach argued that his team should be higher in the ranking, offering the opportunity to host a playoff game.

“There are six one-loss teams in the country,” Cignetti said. “We lost to the second-ranked team on the road. Penn State lost to the fourth-ranked team at home. Texas lost to the fifth-ranked team at home, Boise lost to the seventh-ranked team, Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois and SMU lost to an unranked team at the time they played.”

“So, how are we not right now seeding for a home game? That's what I want to know. We have the largest margin of victory in the country. Take out the FCS and the G5, P4 only, we're out-scoring people 40 to 17, second in the country. So because our name is Indiana and not Michigan, we're ninth.”

A noteworthy season for Curt Cignetti nonetheless

Despite Curt Cignetti's disagreement with the CFP selection committee on his team's ranking position, it doesn't diminish how special this season has been for Indiana.

His team's brilliant performance in his first year with the Hoosiers has earned him a host of college football coaching honors. These accolades included the Big Ten Coach of the Year, the Dave McClain Award and the Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year honors.

“They're all special," Cignetti told Big Ten Network's Rick Pizzo. "A great group of coaches. A great group of players that [had to] overcome their head coach. But this [Indiana] was the biggest venue and based on the expectations prior to the season by the media and pretty much everybody else across.”

The final CFP ranking will be released on Sunday following the conclusion of the conference championship games. Curt Cignetti’s team needs to move up a place to host a first-round game. It's still to be seen where the Hoosiers eventually land on Selection Sunday.