Indiana coach Curt Cignetti was frustrated one day out from likely the most significant moment in program history: making the College Football Playoff.
The announcement, set to commence at the top of the hour, is the next leg of college football’s unlikeliest comeback story. Cignetti’s Hoosiers only lost one game in the regular season – a road blemish against Ohio State with their then Big Ten title hopes alive.
Although Indiana failed to play in the conference title game in its backyard, it is very much in the College Football Playoff discussion. For Cignetti, though, one problem is likely needing a bit of luck to host an opening-round playoff game.
“Yeah, here’s my question, right?” Cignetti asked CBS Sports. “There are six one-loss teams in the country, right? We lost to the second-ranked team on the road. Penn State lost to the fourth-ranked team at home. Texas lost to the fifth-ranked team at home. Boise [State] lost to the seventh-ranked team. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, and SMU lost to an unranked team at the time they played. So, how are we not, right now, seeded for a home [playoff] game?”
In what will likely be a chaotic playoff field, whichever way the domino falls will remain a major stipulation point when examining the College Football Playoff.
Indiana will have to sit back and wait as its playoff fate is decided. It only played one ranked team all season despite dominating nearly every game by double digits.
Cignetti is in his first season in Bloomington. He won Big Ten Coach of the Year honors last Tuesday.
