The 1 thing that has changed for Indiana football since 2024’s Cinderella run
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The Indiana football team is in the College Football Playoff, for the second straight year. While the Hoosiers didn’t get through the first round in 2024, the team’s staff thinks things will go differently this season.
“(Defensive coordinator) Bryant Haines called Indiana “more self-assured” this year in playoff. He said last year, playing at OSU “I think I went outside of who I am a little bit.” That vibe has changed, and he said that is apparent in the locker room,” ESPN’s Pete Thamel posted to X, formerly Twitter.
The Hoosiers made the CFP in the 2024 season, after losing just one game during the regular season. Indiana lost in the playoff to Notre Dame. It was the last time the Hoosiers lost a game.
Indiana plays Alabama in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The winner moves on to the semi-finals of the CFP. The Crimson Tide defeated Oklahoma in a first round game.
Indiana football is 13-0 this season, after knocking off Ohio State for the Big Ten championship.
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti is hoping for a national championship
Indiana is led by second-year coach Curt Cignetti. Cignetti has been to the CFP in each of his two seasons there. He has lost just two games since taking the job in Bloomington, ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Cignetti says his team is preparing to play the game, not their upcoming opponent. Cignetti was previously an assistant at Alabama, and gets asked about that Crimson Tide connection a lot.
“The only goal right now is to have as good a day as we can today,” Cignetti said, per CBS Sports. “We’ve got progress to make in our preparation. When we get done today, this morning, with media, it’s important we have a great day and that we have a realistic perspective what it takes to meet the challenge, gives us the best possibility.
“What you’re talking about are things in the past, which I’ve probably fielded that question a hundred times, right? But it’s a good question. It’s great. There’s a lot of excitement. But we’re here to play in the playoff game and our 100 percent focus is on the here and now.”
Time will tell if Indiana can survive and advance in the CFP.
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