All Curt Cignetti needed was 33 words in 25 seconds. With his left fist in the air at Assembly Hall center court two years ago, the newly hired head coach had delivered an introductory speech so iconic, he’d obliterated what remained of “Hoosier Hysteria”. His wife Manette, present on the sidelines, was shocked. But Cignetti’s belittlement of Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan in the same breath had an ulterior motive. He later told athletic director Scott Dolson, “I just wanted to see if our fans were asleep or were they dead.” Well, if the fan roars that day were anything to go by, Cignetti had a steep challenge ahead of him.

This was the same fanbase who hadn’t seen their football program win more than eight games in the last six decades, had trailed Purdue 77-42-6 in the all-time series, with Ohio State and Michigan delivering a 88-4-1 record combined to the Hoosiers since 1968. This was a fanbase that was as thirsty as it was disgruntled. But Cignetti was no joke either. He already had a forte of turning insignificants into almost-supertars—having done so with James Madison University reaching three consecutive CAA championships under his tutelage. With the Hoosiers, the unapologetically brash head coach made his magic work yet again.

Cignetti’s freshly printed resume boasts IU’s first College Football Playoff appearance in program history, a program record for overall victories (11) and in the Big 10 (8), and the first Top-10 AP Poll rank since 1967. But for how long can he keep piling up the successes? Especially when a hidden pile of dirty laundry sits unattended…

…Which in this case is the Hoosiers’ supposed shortfalls when it comes to certain games. In the head coach’s own words, “When we played the big boys, it didn’t happen…There’s a real disappointment about the way we finished.” And he wasn’t wrong. 

Take the Notre Dame game in the first CFP round, for instance. Indiana was down 27-3 in the final quarter. But by the time the clock ran out, the final score was 27-17. Imagine the possible change in fortune if the Hoosiers were able to pick up the offensive tempo earlier! Regret still haunts Curt Cignetti to this day — “Should have gone two minutes sooner, but hindsight is 20-20.” The coach also mentioned, “That’s probably the silver lining of the Notre Dame game is a sour taste it left in my mouth and everybody else’s mouth in terms of motivation to get started this year.” Still, Indiana’s plight wasn’t just about Notre Dame alone.

“When we played the real good people, we looked a little different,” Curt Cignetti admitted. Against ND, Ohio State, and Michigan, the Hoosiers’ offensive line became rickety. ESPN Analytics dropped the hammer — Indiana had a 13% sack rate against those three powerhouses versus just 3% against everybody else. The blown block rate was 30.1% against the trio of teams versus 14% in other matchups. But, don’t worry, there’s a good chance that 2025 is going to be even more formidable offensively, starting with the addition of Cal transfer QB Fernando Mendoza. 

Fernando Mendoza reveals Curt Cignetti’s big promise

Curt Cignetti has high hopes for his new QB, replacing Kurtis Rourke, who is now a San Francisco 49er. Fernando Mendoza is buying what his new HC is selling — “He’s a very enticing coach. He’s very confident. He knows what it takes to win, and he sets a very high standard and he said that if I were to come to Indiana, I would develop as a quarterback. I get great coaching, and I’d be able to be the best Fernando Mendoza that I could be, and so that’s something that was extremely attractive to me.” And there’s a high possibility he might just be. 

Fernando Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards and 16 TDs in 2024, despite playing behind what had been one of the worst offensive lines in the nation. He took 41 sacks, second only to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders’ 42 sacks. But Indiana heard the alarm bells bringing in big guys like ND’s Pat Coogan, OSU’s Zen Michalski, and even an old face in Colorado’s Kahlil Benson. Add in returning talents like Carter Smith, Bray Lynch, and Drew Evans, and suddenly, Mendoza’s got a real wall in front of him. The cherry on top is that he’ll have All-Big Ten WR Elijah Sarratt to throw to. So, he’s set up for success. 

So, the goal that Curt Cignetti has in mind for Indiana in 2025 isn’t just to contend for another playoff run. It’s to beat the big names. And this time, they’ve got the tools to make that happen.