Curt Cignetti appeared to emphatically put the SEC on blast.
The Indiana head coach called the Big Ten "the best league in football" during Thursday's conference media event. Cignetti gave the Big Ten its third consecutive national champion when leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated season.
"A lot of really good football teams, and it's hard to win on the road," Cignetti said, via WISH-TV News. "Very physical football teams, very well coached. It definitely prepares you for the playoffs. There's no doubt about it; the numbers speak for themselves."
Cignetti then took what many observers interpreted as a not-so-subtle dig at the SEC.
"We don't run a hype machine up here in the Midwest," Cignetti said. "We believe everything is earned, not given. And when we fall short, we say we fell short. We don't cry a river, whine and complain. That's why we're the best."
Fans react to Cignetti's comments
Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Cignetti's remarks drew a roar of approval from onlookers on social media. Fans loved seeing the head coach antagonize the opposition ahead of Indiana's title defense.
"Curt Cignetti from the absolute top rope!" Logan McCrory exclaimed.
"Man I love my coach so much," a Hoosiers fan declared.
"Just to clear up any confusion for the SEC, he’s talking about you," an anti-SEC fan account claimed.
"Even as an opposing fan, it is really hard to hate Curt," an Ohio State supporter wrote. "I'm a huge fan of his."
"If Indiana wins the national championship two years in a row that will be the best coaching performance I have seen," a former coach said. "Every team on their schedule has then circled. And he is adding fuel to the fire, and I love that for everyone involved."
Indiana prepares for title defense
Cignetti has good reason for confidence after steering Indiana to a historic title run. The Hoosiers went 16-0, including a resounding 38-3 win over the SEC's Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Hoosiers will aim to repeat without Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, whom the Las Vegas Raiders drafted with the No. 1 pick. Indiana trails every SEC team with ESPN Football Power Index's 33rd-toughest strength of schedule this season.
"It's time to turn the page, which I don't have a problem doing," Cignetti said on Thursday, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "Our coaches don't have a problem doing that, and the core group that was with us last year in the locker room do that well too."
