Curt Cignetti committed to Ohio State almost a year before he played with them.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the biggest game of Curt Cignetti’s life will take place on Saturday in Columbus. Of course, the first-year head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers is no stranger to successes and highlights from his previous tenure at James Madison. However, when he leads the Hoosiers to take on Ohio State BuckeyesThis is a top 5 match with a giant College football playoffs implied.

Unfortunately, Cignetti may have given Ryan Day and Ohio State some bulletin board material before he even took the field against Indiana – and certainly before anyone thought the Hoosiers would end up in this spot. if they ever thought they would be.

Shortly after he was hired in late 2023, following Indiana’s season, Cignetti appeared at a Hoosiers basketball game to introduce him to fans. He got the crowd going, especially when he took a jab at in-state rival Purdue by simply declaring, “Purdue sucks!” Coach Sig didn’t stop there, however, adding, “But Michigan and Ohio State are doing the same thing.”

I’m sure Day will show it to the Buckeyes once or twice this week to try to light a fire under the second-ranked team in college football.

Even though Cignetti likely knew Ohio State was on Indiana’s 2024 schedule, he couldn’t believe his new team would enter the matchup undefeated at 10-0 and play for a berth in the championship game Big Ten as they faced the Buckeyes.

However, this is the reality of the situation now. While this may be an additional motivational tactic that OSU staff can use to get the team excited, there shouldn’t be a need for anything more. This is a defining moment for both programs that could be critical to either program’s College Football Playoff life.

This will be by far the biggest test Indiana faces this season, as it has the worst strength record among the teams currently in the 12-team CFP field. However, a win over the Buckeyes would not only put them in contention for the conference title, but would effectively clinch the Hoosiers in the playoffs no matter what happens in Indianapolis.

Without a doubt, Cignetti’s team faces a difficult task. FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Hoosiers as 13.5-point underdogs on the road against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have arguably the most talented roster in college football, have lost just one game this season to top-ranked Oregon, are still considered the favorites for the national championship and are obviously playing at home in Columbus.

The deck is stacked against Indiana. However, no one expected Coach Sig and the Hoosiers to go 10-0. Who said that the head coach won’t keep his words and make the score even more unexpected – 11-0? We can’t wait to see how it all plays out, bulletin board materials and all, on the field.