Curt Cignetti ‘had to wake some people up’ when it came to Indiana football. Why? He wants ‘to be the best’ — and he’s not changing his tone.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti has made it well known in his short time in Bloomington — he isn’t backing down to anyone. From his initial introduction to Indiana up until his introduction to the rest of the Big Ten during Big Ten Media Day on Thursday, his messaging has been the same. It’s bold and it’s confident. And Cignetti is making it known that he’s not changing that tune.

Earlier this week Indiana was picked to finish 17th in the conference in the preseason poll. While the Hoosiers do come in as the only team to win less than two league games last year — and just three Big Ten games in the last three years, Cignetti also knows his past and his success.

He wasted no time addressing that at the podium in his opening remarks.

“Now, I can tell you, normally at these things I stand up here and we’re picked to win the league. It’s just usually how it’s been,” Cignetti said on Thursday. “I have been picked next to last twice, which were picked 17th out of an 18-team league, and I get it. The two times we were picked next to last, in 2022, we won the conference championship, and in 2017 we inherited an 8-45 team and won eight in a row and played JMU the last game of the year for the conference championship.

“Now, I’m not into making predictions, that’s just a historical fact. I know you guys have been waiting for me to say something crazy. That wasn’t quite crazy.”

That is, in fact, a fact. It’s widely known the success Cignetti has had all throughout his entire tenure as a head coach — from Elon all the way to James Madison.

He’s never had a losing season. That confidence was radiating throughout Lucas Oil Stadium — very similar to his first impression with Indiana fans back in Assembly Hall. Everyone remembers that moment, the moment when he called out not just Purdue but also Michigan and Ohio State.

That was all the way back on December 1. Has he changed his tune?

“I just ramped that up a little bit. We’ve got 17,000 people in the basketball arena, right? I got to get them excited,” Cignetti said during his breakout session. “The first part was easy (talking about Purdue), then why stop there? Why set the bar at 6-6? Our goal is to go after these two (Michigan and Ohio State). I want to be the best. When you compete, you want to be the best. So if we go to a bowl, that’s a great year? Bullshit. That ain’t the goal. The goal is to be the best.”

‘Those two’ have won the Big Ten every year since 2016. But this year could be different. With no divisions and four new additions — Oregon, USC, UCLA, Washington — to the league, there is a lot up for grabs.

It’s no easy task to break through the wall that the Big Ten has set near the top. But, Curt Cignetti is going to continue to follow his process that has made him into a winner at every stop and see where it takes him.

“We’re very process oriented in terms of what we do: Control the controllables, humble and hungry, be where your feet are, no self-imposed limitations, improve every minute, every hour, every day, every rep, one play at a time,” Cignetti said. “Buy into that, okay, and just improve and see where the process takes you.”

Indiana football has won just nine games in the last three seasons combined but the progress that Cignetti has seen in his group is exponential since he took the program over just eight months ago. He knows that winning is the only thing that matters at the end of the day, however. But that isn’t going to stop him from showcasing his confident aura.

“I’m not going to tolerate not being successful,” Cignetti said. “I want to make that clear right off the bat.”

“When I say I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress, I understand we’ve got to put it on the field. We’ve got to put it on the field. But nothing gets people excited like winning.”

That ‘winning’ will be put to the test on August 31 — the season opener for Indiana football. This fan base has been starving for success and wins, neither of which have been consistent for quite some time.

Curt Cignetti has made it clear that he’s come to Bloomington to do just that — win. He’s talked the talk. Now he’s got to walk the walk. But — Cignetti doesn’t, and won’t, have any regrets.

“Now, I’ve kind of had to speak a big game taking over a job like this because we had to wake some people up and create some excitement,” Cignetti added. “And after all, this is the entertainment business too.”

SEE ALSO: ‘Time to put it together’: The early foundation has been set for Indiana football. Now it’s time to sustain and build off of it in critical summer months

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