Under new head coach Curt Cignetti, Indiana University football has been revived, and the future looks bright for the Hoosiers.
It is no secret that IU is known as a basketball school. The basketball program has a rich history with multiple national championships. Unlike the basketball team, Indiana football has not been something to be proud of in recent years. Overlooking two above average seasons in 2019 and 2020 that were clouded by COVID-19, IU football has not had even a winning record since 2007, and the most recent before that was 1994.
There are multiple reasons that IU football has been so subpar, but it really boils down to two main things: playing in the B1G conference and living in the shadows of other major programs. The B1G is one of the most prestigious and powerful conferences in the country. This ensures that pretty much every year, Indiana has to play a tough schedule against multiple ranked teams. Along with this, IU has never had the recruiting tools that nearby schools have, leaving Indiana football in a seemingly permanent drought of talent. Being so close to other midwestern schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, and even Louisville and Kentucky, highly sought after recruits have always been drawn to these schools with bigger and better football programs. Most midwestern talent ends up at these schools, and there has never been anything IU could do about it. That is, until the hire of Coach Curt Cignetti.
Cignetti, who had 40 years of collegiate coaching under his belt before being hired at IU, has now led the Hoosiers to an 11-1 record and a playoff berth. This year has been nothing short of historical for Indiana, and the stats speak for themselves: this season, Indiana has the most wins (11), largest point differential (+344) and most 40-point games (8) in school history, per the Indiana Daily Student newspaper. Cignetti also has a history of being a winning coach. Last year, he led James Madison University to an impressive 11-2 record, both losses coming during the last two games of the season. JMU starting the year 11-0 brought a ton of attention to Cignetti and his squad, ultimately landing him the job at IU. Cignetti brought 31 transfers into Indiana this season, including 13 of his own guys that played at James Madison.
I got the privilege of attending the final game of IU’s regular season, which was a rivalry game against Purdue. I had been to a couple IU football games before this, but this year the atmosphere was just different. The hype around IU’s team is as real as they come, and Bloomington was a snowy mess of fans ready for football.
My friends and I walked to tailgate after tailgate before the game began, and we had never seen Bloomington so ready for a football game. The atmosphere when the team is good is just so much different than it has been in past years. When we finally headed into the stadium, I was at a loss for words at how packed it was and how much energy the crowd had. In 2022, I went to an IU football game with my dad, and the crowd was small and there were empty seats all over the stadium. This year, Indiana sold out of tickets for all home games in mid October, and it was pretty clear. Every seat in the stadium was filled, and it was beyond loud. The snowy weather mixed with the game being at night made for an exciting atmosphere that I had never seen before at Memorial Stadium. Fans came ready to cheer and showed out.
The game ended in sheer domination by Indiana. Winning 66-0 against their rival, the Hoosier offense looked nothing short of amazing throughout the game. We did not stay the whole game because of the weather, but while we were there, the plays that IU made were electric and got the crowd roaring.
Regardless of how the season ends for Indiana in the playoffs, I cannot help but be excited for the future of the Hoosiers under Cignetti.
