Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti has taken aim at the SEC and ESPN following the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings, which placed his team at No. 4. The Hoosiers enter Week 10 with a 9-1 record, including a 5-1 mark in Big Ten play, though four of those conference wins have been decided by one score and three required fourth-quarter comebacks.
Cignetti's Criticism of ESPN and SEC
During his Wednesday radio show, Cignetti suggested the SEC's heavy presence in the rankings stems from its relationship with ESPN. "SEC gets a lot of love from ESPN and all their writers that they don't technically pay but march to their drum," he said. "And 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. But like I said, it's all gonna play out on the field."
Cignetti later shared a screenshot on social media highlighting Indiana's five wins over teams with winning records — North Texas (6-2), Northwestern (6-2), Nebraska (5-3), Michigan (5-3) and Minnesota (5-3) — captioning it "facts are stubborn things." The Hoosiers' only loss came against Ohio State, and they have yet to face a ranked opponent other than the Buckeyes.
Upcoming Test Against USC
Indiana will host No. 20 USC on November 14 (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS) after both teams enjoy a bye week. The game offers Cignetti's squad a chance to silence criticism about their schedule and performance by securing a comfortable win over a quality opponent.
The Big Ten has struggled to produce a clear elite team this season, with Oregon's disappointing campaign, Ohio State's quarterback uncertainty, USC's inconsistency and Indiana's own offensive challenges. UCLA remains the conference's lone undefeated team but has not yet faced another top-tier opponent.
