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Curt Cignetti wasn’t going to take victory for granted in Friday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal.
For the first time in school history, the Indiana Hoosiers will play for a national title after defeating Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl.
Eventually, the Hoosiers will sit back and watch film on No. 10 Miami, who has had a great Cinderella run to take on the top-ranked 15-0 Hoosiers.
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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti hoists the George P. Crumbley Trophy after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 9, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
But Cignetti had one thing on his mind as the Hoosiers celebrated at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
ESPN’s Molly McGrath asked Cignetti when he would “stop and appreciate how special and historic this whole thing has been,” assuming Cignetti was already “thinking about the next game.”
Cignetti, however, corrected her.
“I’m not thinking about the next game. I’m thinking about opening a beer,” he admitted.
The Hoosiers became the fifth team in modern college football history to go 15-0. Now they can become the first team in the modern era to go 16-0 and just the second all time, joining an 1894 Yale team that played with leather helmets.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti watches before the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2025. (Robert Goddin/Image Images)
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Cignetti has taken the college football world’s breath away with a dramatic turnaround in the Hoosiers program, going from one of the Big Ten’s losingest teams to potentially the most dominant season of all time.
Coming off their undefeated regular season, the Hoosiers have only gained momentum in the CFP. After defeating Ohio State for the Big Ten championship, Indiana overwhelmed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinals as Fernando Mendoza threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks to the sideline after a timeout against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the fourth quarter during the football game in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Indiana will try to give the Big Ten its third straight national title, following Ohio State and Michigan the last two seasons. Few teams in any conference can compare to the Hoosiers’ season-long display of strong, balanced play.
