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Indiana is coming off the greatest season in program history, but head coach Curt Cignetti doesn’t want the reigning national champions looking backward. Speaking with ESPN’s SportsCenter, Cignetti made it clear that his team isn’t approaching the 2026 season with the mindset of defending a title, even after the Hoosiers completed a perfect 2025 campaign that ended with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
“In my mind, we’re not defending the national championship, we’re starting a new season.”
Curt Cignetti joins SportsCenter and discusses the upcoming @IndianaFootball season 🏈 pic.twitter.com/2vDuV6EC1n
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 30, 2026
Asked how he helps his team reset after such a historic season, Cignetti pointed to the program’s long-established process.
“Yeah, you know, we have a blueprint process plan. We’ve got guys on staff who’ve been together 12, 13 years, seven, eight years. We have a way we do things.”
He then made his philosophy unmistakably clear.
“In my mind, we’re not defending the national championship. We’re starting a new season and developing players in fall camp and identifying roles and developing intangibles and team mindset and that type of thing. So, I’ll be stalking complacency, but I think our team did a good job snapping back as well.”
When asked about the challenges that come with entering the season as the defending national champion, Cignetti again emphasized improvement over expectations.
“I think the biggest challenge every day is just to improve as much as possible and do the things that enable you to do that. And if you do that and prepare the right way, then anything’s possible.”
He also noted that maintaining the right mentality throughout a long season is just as important as talent.
“The season is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. So you gotta develop those intangibles on your football team too, and how to handle success, how to handle setbacks and all sorts of things like that.”
Indiana is coming off the greatest season in program history, but head coach Curt Cignetti doesn’t want the reigning national champions looking backward. Speaking with ESPN’s SportsCenter, Cignetti made it clear that his team isn’t approaching the 2026 season with the mindset of defending a title, even after the Hoosiers completed a perfect 2025 campaign that ended with a 27-21 victory over Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
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