Rob Gronkowski makes thoughts extremely clear on Curt Cignetti's Indiana after 27-17 loss against Notre Dame

Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski is known for his big personality and speaking his mind. He has never hesitated to say what he is thinking, regardless of who it offends. So, it was not surprising to see that he had things to say about the College Football Playoff first-round matchup between the No. 5-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 8-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.

Notre Dame dominated the game from the start, and despite a late surge for Indiana, the Fighting Irish held on for a 27-17 win. The win moves the Fighting Irish into the second round of the playoff and a matchup with the No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

After the game, Rob Gronkowski went on Twitter to voice his displeasure. He believes that head coach Curt Cignetti and his Indiana squad should not have been a playoff team.

"Indiana should have never been in the playoffs. SOS is terrible. I see why that plays a big part especially when factoring in a SEC team. I understand it’s a tough call. Funny thing about this game, Notre Dame is just a better Indiana."

In the tweet, he refers to SOS (strength of schedule), which refers to the difficulty of opponents a team plays in a season.

Is Rob Gronkowski right about Indiana's strength of schedule?

Rob Gronkowski believed that Indiana should not have made the College Football Playoff because it had a weak strength of schedule, but is this true? Looking at the Hoosiers' matchups this season, it is hard to say that Rob Gronkowski is wrong.

The Hoosiers went most of the season without playing a team that finished in the AP Top 25 other than the No. 6-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the second last game of the regular season. It does not help the Hoosiers' argument when you consider that their only regular-season loss came in that game.

However, the Hoosiers did play a few teams that were ranked at different points in the season. They crushed Nebraska, who was ranked early in the season, 56-7 on Oct. 19. Additionally, the Hoosiers defeated the defending champions Michigan Wolverines 20-15 on Nov. 9.

So, while the Hoosiers did not face many top-25 ranked opponents, every matchup they played was not against a low-level team. However, when looking at their overall strength of schedule, it is easy to see why someone like Rob Gronkowski would think they were not deserving of a playoff spot.