Curt Cignetti addresses Ohio State game narrative: 'We don't prepare to play it close'

Indiana is set to play the biggest game in the history of it’s football program on Saturday, visiting Ohio State for a Top 5 showdown. And in his self-assured style, Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti isn’t playing for an honorable second place.

Entering Saturday a perfect 10-0 in Cignetti’s first season in Bloomington, many have theorized that Indiana merely needs to play comparably to Ohio State to position itself for an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff. But Cignetti, speaking on “The Triple Option” podcast, said that’s not the goal for his team.

They’re showing up to Columbus with every intent of winning.

“Well you know, I’m kind of an early morning guy, so if we start at 7 a.m, I’m normally in here 4:30 a.m. or 5 a.m. to kind of organize the day,” Cignetti said. “And one of the first things I do is I kind of create the message of the day, right? And one of the keys of the drill is getting everybody to think alike, players and coaches. I think it was Monday morning I came and the first thing I wrote down was, ‘We don’t prepare to play it close.’ Right? That’s not what we do. And so we’re excited about the opportunity and looking forward to it.”

And so far this year, Indiana has not been playing it close. Albeit against a schedule absent many heavyweight tests until now, the Hoosiers have been in the business of battering their competition.

Only until a 20-15 win over Michigan earlier in November did they win a game by fewer than two scores.

And while a double-digit win over the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe would surely be a stunner to many, don’t count Cignetti among them.

One analyst suggested Indiana could even sit starting QB Kurtis Rourke vs. the Buckeyes

In fact, it’s such a big game for the CFP, ESPN’s Joey Galloway advocated IU sit quarterback Kurtis Rourke. That statement led to quite the reaction from the show’s panel of Rece Davis, Greg McElroy and Booger McFarland.

Galloway pointed to Florida State’s situation last year when Jordan Travis got hurt late and the Seminoles missed the CFP. He argued Indiana’s spot – with the strength of schedule issues – could be similar if Rourke goes down with an injury.

“They can’t go any higher,” Galloway said. “They have a chance to go on the road and prove what they are. Now, honestly, if we believe in what our metrics are saying, if I’m Indiana, I don’t know if I’m playing Rourke against Ohio State. We saw what happened to Florida State last year with Jordan Travis. What could keep Indiana out of this? Getting their quarterback hurt. We’ve seen it happen with Florida State last year. Having not played anybody.

“If you look at 3, 4 and 5 – Texas, Penn State and Indiana – they literally have played nobody between all three teams. The toughest team in that is Vandy.”

Indiana’s strength of schedule is currently No. 106 in the nation, according to ESPN’s FPI, as the Hoosiers take an undefeated record into Saturday’s tilt. A loss might not be damaging to their CFP hopes, though. ESPN projects a 96% chance of making the College Football Playoff if the Hoosiers fall.

That’s why Joey Galloway said keeping Rourke healthy would be paramount. As a result, he stood by his call for Cignetti to sit his QB.

“They go from 97% now to 96% [with a loss],” Galloway said. “Now, I know you guys blew it off, but if I’m Indiana, I am protecting my quarterback. … They have a chance to get in the Playoff and it looks like they’re getting in. We said the same thing last year, Jordan Travis got hurt for Florida State. They didn’t get in. If I’m Indiana, say what you want, I’m protecting my quarterback.”

McElroy called that decision a “culture killer” while McFarland pointed out Indiana can’t afford to get blown out. But McElroy later countered with the fact Travis got hurt against North Alabama. It wasn’t a conference game.

“Jordan Travis got hurt against North Alabama,” McElroy said. “Just because Ohio State’s good – he’s got a chance to get hurt walking down the street.”