From the beginning, Curt Cignetti has made it clear he’ll speak his mind to anyone about anything.
That includes Indiana Hoosiers fans.
Expectations around Indiana football have never been higher. Coming off their first national championship in Cignetti’s second season at the helm, the Hoosiers are now among the sport’s elite programs, battling for a College Football Playoff spot year in and year out.
It wasn’t that long ago that Indiana was one of the sport’s perennial basement dwellers, and Cignetti is well aware of that, even if he feels like some of the fans have started getting a little comfortable in their newfound success.
Indiana is currently 3-0 in the 2026 season, but they’ve all been unmemorable blowouts, including last weekend’s 38-0 win over Western Kentucky. There isn’t much hype around IU right now because they’ve played a fairly soft schedule full of cupcakes before Big Ten play kicks in. That’s apparently got some Hoosiers a little restless about the program.
Cignetti tempered those expectations on his radio show this week.
Cignetti is SPICY during his coaches show tonight. Pray for Northwestern. pic.twitter.com/HmOwh13mKr
— Kirkwood & Dunn (@KirkwoodandDunn) September 24, 2026
“What are we, 29-2?” Cignetti said. “I mean, when we came, I saw the pictures. 10,000 people in the stands. Don’t b*tch about a 38-0 win.”
Technically, Indiana is 30-2 overall since Cignetti arrived, but the point stands.
It’s unclear how much of this angst is real versus just a few people complaining for the sake of it. One imagines most Hoosier fans aren’t complaining about starting the season by outscoring opponents 145-16 and being ranked in the Top 5. But like any good coach, Cignetti will always find a way to incorporate a little #DISRESPECT into things.
Maybe he just needs Indiana fans to Google him and the program’s history one more time.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.