Curt Cignetti fires back at critics of Indiana's inclusion in 2024 College Football Playoff

There’s no question that the Indiana Hoosiers were the most surprising team in all of college football last season.

Indiana entered the 2024 season ranked No. 83 by CBS Sports, No. 81 by The Athletic and No. 77 by ESPN FPI. It didn’t just surpass expectations, it shattered them.

Curt Cignetti‘s program opened the season 10-0 and skyrocketed to No. 5 in the country following a 20-15 over reigning National Champion Michigan. It was then throttled by Ohio State 38-15, but finished the regular season with a 66-0 drumming of Purdue to finish 11-1.

This was good enough to earn them a spot in the College Football Playoff, a spot that many around the sport felt was undeserved due to Indiana‘s lack of quality wins. Although it won 11 regular season games, zero came against Top-25 competition. It won two games against teams from the 2023 College Football Playoff (Washington and Michigan), but both programs had been depleted by the NFL Draft and both games were played in Bloomington.

Cignetti however fired back at critics in an interview with ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, claiming that a “newbie” program breaking through is going to create waves.

Talked with Indiana's Curt Cignetti about the continued grumbling about his team's inclusion in the CFP: "When a newbie like us breaks into the status quo, that's going to create some waves. A team comes out of nowhere. But everything's earned, not given. There's no entitlement."

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 22, 2025

“When a newbie like us breaks into the status quo, that’s going to create some waves,” Cignetti said. “A team comes out of nowhere. But everything’s earned, not given. There’s no entitlement.”

2024 success was vital for recruiting according to Cignetti

The Hoosiers were given a No. 10 seed in the Playoff and were matched up against No. 7 seed Notre Dame in a College Football Playoff First Round matchup. The game was mostly uncompetitive, as the Fighting Irish held a comfortable 20-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter (eventually winning 27-17).

The 2025 season will look much different for the Hoosiers, as quarterback Kurtis Rourke has headed off to the NFL. Indiana replaced him with California transfer Fernando Mendoza, who Cignetti admitted they wouldn’t have landed without their 2024 season.

“Oh, quite a bit,” Cignetti said when discussing how vital last year’s success was for recruiting. “There’s no doubt about it. I think without that success, you don’t land a Fernando Mendoza or a Pat Coogan or some of the other guys we were able to get.”

Indiana opens its 2025 season at home against Old Dominion on August 30. The Hoosiers should be 3-0 (with wins over Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Illinois State) when it hosts Illinois in Bloomington on Sep. 20 in what will likely be a top-15 clash.