Curt Cignetti scoffs when asked if Indiana should be in College Football Playoff: 'The answer's so obvious'

Indiana entered Saturday’s game against Ohio State at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings, but a big question mark was its strength of schedule. After the Hoosiers’ 38-15 loss to the Buckeyes, it’s now worth watching to see if they stay in the picture.

When asked about IU’s CFP hopes, Curt Cignetti answered in a way only he could. He scoffed and wondered if it was a “serious question” before giving a wink and a nod.

“Is that a serious question?” Cignetti said in his postgame press conference, with a smirk. “I’m not even gonna answer that one. The answer’s so obvious.”

MUST WATCH: Indiana HC Curt Cignetti was asked if he thinks the Hoosiers should be in the College Football Playoff despite the 23-point loss today.

His response was yet another great Cignetti moment.@WISHNews8 | #iufb | #CFP pic.twitter.com/gWkFlC1H1O

— Angela Moryan (@AngelaMoryanTV) November 23, 2024

Indiana became the story of college football this year after Cignetti came in from James Madison, taking an 11-0 record into Week 13. The Hoosiers were dominant, too, leading the nation in scoring offense ahead of their first big test against No. 2 Ohio State.

Heading into the penultimate game of the season, Indiana’s strength of schedule ranked 106th in the nation, according to ESPN’s FPI. That’s the second-weakest for a CFP Top 25 team only behind Army, which was at No. 133 entering its game against Notre Dame.

The Hoosiers had an opportunity to make a statement on Saturday, and it looked like they were on their way in the first quarter. But Ohio State rallied en route to the blowout win, leading to questions about whether IU will stay in the rankings next week.

However, a key SEC game could help the Hoosiers stay in the picture. No. 9 Ole Miss fell to Florida in Gainesville, marking its third loss of the year. The Rebels will likely be on the outside looking in come Tuesday night, and for one-loss Indiana, there’s some hope to remain in the 12-team bracket entering Rivalry Week.

One thing’s for sure, though. Curt Cignetti wants to ignore the outside noise around his program with one game remaining in the regular season.

“This is just a football game,” Cignetti said ahead of the Ohio State game. “60 minutes between the white lines. We’ve got a veteran group, right? We earned the right to be here. There’s no magic wand. We’ve got the largest victory margin, in college football, right? There’s a narrative out there that’s created another chip for us. People can stick that narrative up their you know what.”