Curt Cignetti trashes CFP officiating during in-game interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe

Both head coaches were expecting an intense, physical College Football Playoff National Championship game on Monday night, but it was Indiana’s Curt Cignetti who thought it crossed a line.

During an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe heading into halftime, a typically ostentatious Cignetti trashed the referees, especially in the way they were supposedly overlooking hard hits on his quarterback.

“There’s three personal fouls on the quarterback not called in one drive that need to be called because they’re obvious personal fouls,” Cignetti said. “I’m all for letting them play. But when you cross the line, you gotta call it. They were black and white calls.”

Curt Cignetti: “There’s three personal fouls on the quarterback not called in one drive that need to be called because they’re obvious personal fouls. I’m all for letting them play. But when you cross the line, you gotta call it. They were black and white calls.” 🏈🦓🎙️ #CFP pic.twitter.com/bHaOMTtAiw

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 20, 2026

Networks have added significantly more in-game interviews over time, but they rarely generate meaningful insights.

In this case, Cignetti did not hold back laying into the referees at Hard Rock Stadium. The drive in question would appear to have been around the six-minute mark of the first quarter, when Mendoza received hits on a pass attempt and as a blocker that had fans chattering online.

Mendoza takes a hit pic.twitter.com/EyJwvEHG5r

— LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) January 20, 2026

Of course, the officials wouldn’t hear Cignetti’s comments on the broadcast.

But CFP staffers certainly will, and the head coach might have a fine waiting for him on Tuesday morning after so directly challenging the referees’ decisions on live television.