How Did "Lowly" Indiana Make the College Football Playoff?!

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4.6 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2024

⏱️ 26 minutes

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Summary

It's hard to believe that Indiana, which has lost more college football games than any other FBS program, has earned a spot in the inaugural twelve team college football playoff. And no matter what happens in their instate showdown with Notre Dame Friday night, it's already been a dream season for head coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers. A decade ago, Cignetti made a risky bet on himself, moving from a title-winning assistant role under Nick Saban at Alabama to head coach at little-known IU-Pennsylvania. But now his confident style has completely changed the culture in Bloomington. Today, Adam Rittenberg joins Harry Lyles Jr. to introduce us to the man himself and explain how Cignetti’s already thinking far past this season, with a vision to make Indiana a powerhouse for years to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Adam Rittenberg coming into the year, I am certain you had the Indiana Hoosiers in the college football playoff, correct?
0:07.2	Absolutely. I always nail these ones, Harry. Obviously, a bigger field, more opportunity, but did not see the lowly Hoosiers rising all the way to the playoffs.
0:17.4	It's an incredible story, obviously with Kurt Signetti and his team, and
0:21.0	they have that opportunity, just like the other 11 teams do, to go out and win a national
0:24.7	championship. Now, for you, what was the moment where you realized that this team was for real?
0:30.0	You know, I think it was probably that Nebraska game.
0:35.8	Nebraska, by no means, was an elite team, but it was a team that a lot of people thought was improved this year.
0:41.0	And it was an absolutely dominant performance by Indiana.
0:45.1	Second down and short, no, hand it off.
0:47.4	Allison, cuts it back.
0:50.7	Touchdown, Indiana.
0:53.8	31 yards.
0:55.9	Wow.
0:57.5	The Hoosiers smack it around Nebraska.
1:02.1	Nebraska had gone out and been really close with Ohio State,
1:05.4	and they really didn't belong on the field with Indiana.
1:08.0	So then you kind of knew this team had that completeness, that dominance, ability to just take over a game.
1:14.3	Up to sideline, Indiana, Asbury, walking them down.
1:22.3	America.
1:23.5	They got a football team now.
1:26.0	Kirstie Nettie has changed pretty much everything around the Indiana program,
1:29.9	and he did it initially with the bluster, with memorable lines.
	...

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