Unexpected Indiana: The Rise of Hoosier Hysteria

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The college football world has spent the last couple of months trying to dictate Curt Cignetti's thought process.

\"You cannot achieve success at Indiana University.\"

\"The Hoosiers cannot attain a high ranking in the college football polls.\"

Also see this picks: Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan Wolverines Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 23rd 2024 Also see this picks: Central Florida Knights vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 23rd 2024

\"IU will not have a spot in the College Football Playoffs.\"

\"IU-Ohio State is the most significant game the Hoosiers have played since 1967... perhaps ever.\"

The head coach of the Hoosiers is not paying attention. In fact, he is not particularly interested in your opinions.

It is not that he is oblivious to outside noise. It would be challenging not to be aware, with ESPN's College GameDay and Fox Sports' Big Noon Kickoff consistently buzzing around. National attention comes with unparalleled success, and the Hoosiers are among the biggest stories of the 2024 college football season.

After nearly 140 years of disappointment, the program that has the most losses in its history finds itself in the intense spotlight against the No. 2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, with a chance to silence all of its critics. The hopes for a Big Ten title are on the line.

A crucial game? Cignetti does not see it that way.

\"It is a significant game because it is the next one,\" Cignetti states. \"We treat every game equally. If there were a better way to prepare for a specific team, we would do that for every team.\"

Also see this picks: Purdue Boilermakers vs. Michigan State Spartans Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 22nd 2024 Also see this picks: Charleston Southern Buccaneers vs. Florida State Seminoles Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 23rd 2024

It may sound like typical coach-speak, but it is evident that Cignetti genuinely believes it.

His success not only at IU but also at previous stops at James Madison and Elon has convinced him that his approach to preparing for opponents and instilling confidence in his players is the right one.

\"It is pretty straightforward,\" Cignetti famously said after being hired at IU. \"I win. Google me.\"

Belief has been the foundation of the Hoosiers' historic season, from the belief the coaches have in each other to the belief the players have in their coaches and teammates. Belief is not difficult to come by when the head coach has delivered on everything he promised since Day One.

And the IU administration is also buying into the belief. With multiple sellouts of Memorial Stadium this year and the promise of many more in the future, IU Athletics Director Scott Dolson made sure that no one would poach his head coach by using the bye week to sign Cignetti to an eight-year contract extension worth over $72 million.

Even when his team was not playing, Cignetti still managed to win the weekend.

It is the best of times for IU football, and it will never be better.

There were no expectations for the Hoosiers coming into this season, and no one could have imagined that IU would be undefeated and ranked in the top five in the country in the final weeks of the regular season. For a program that typically searches for just six wins in a season to reach a bowl game, one that has only won a total of nine games in the last three years, every game at this point is playing with house money.

No one can be disappointed with anything that happens from here on out because no one expected to be in this position.

Consider that IU had never won more than nine games in a season until this year. Even if the Hoosiers were to lose every game for the rest of the year, it would still be the most successful season in their history.

In the future, there will be expectations.

IU fans have tasted success, and they will crave it with every fiber of their being. Disappointment and heartache are always a possibility. It has happened before.

But that is in the future. Cignetti has completely changed the narrative for IU football, which is now playing at the highest level for the first time in its history.

There is the contract extension and the dream of renovations at 65-year-old Memorial Stadium. More space is needed for more fans. Cignetti has allowed long-suffering Hoosier fans to dream of becoming a football powerhouse, and he is certain that this year is not a fluke. It is just the beginning.