Curt Cignetti downplays Alabama 'mystique' in College Football Playoff as Rose Bowl nears for Indiana

Indiana's coach said his team is focused on playing their best, not the opponent

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti never minces words and delivered some of college football's most notable comments over his dominant, two-year stretch. From "Google Me" to not being surprised after a road win at Oregon, Cignetti's nature commands respect.

Cignetti's boring-by-design, top-ranked and unbeaten Hoosiers are on the verge of battling blueblood Alabama for the first time in program history Thursday at The Rose Bowl. His players do not concern themselves with the Crimson Tide "mystique" coming in, he said.

"You probably know more about the mystique than they do," Cignetti said. "Our guys just know what they see on tape."

Blunt and succinct. The follow-up centered around the Hoosiers' path to College Football Playoff glory.

"The only goal right now is to have as good a day as we can today," Cignetti said. "We've got progress to make in our preparation. When we get done today, this morning, with media, it's important we have a great day and that we have a realistic perspective what it takes to meet the challenge, gives us the best possibility. 

"What you're talking about are things in the past, which I've probably fielded that question a hundred times, right? But it's a good question. It's great. There's a lot of excitement. But we're here to play in the playoff game and our 100 percent focus is on the here and now."

The Alabama 'mystique'

Alabama lost two of its final four regular-season games prior to the 34-24 win over Oklahoma in the CFP first round. Alabama trailed 17-0 in the first half of that one before Zabien Brown's interception return for a score late in the second quarter sparked a comeback.

There's nothing unnerving about an Alabama's rushing offense at 109.3 yards per game, which ranks 120th with inconsistent quarterback play. Only Texas Tech's Behren Morton brings a lower QBR than Ty Simpson, who did throw two touchdown passes in the CFP opener, among teams still left in the playoff.

The Alabama "mystique" developed during Nick Saban's illustrious tenure, which included six national championship game appearances over a seven-year stretch at one point in the playoff era with three titles. The glamour deteriorated sometime thereafter after Alabama suffered two regular-season losses in 2022 and lost to Michigan at the goal line in overtime during a playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl in Saban's final game.

Ironically, Alabama is back in that same setting this week, hoping to post its best win of the Kalen DeBoer era. The Crimson Tide have had a different look and overall makeup the last two years under their new coaching staff, a more finesse approach offensively and less aggression on the other side of the football.

DeBoer did not appreciate Alabama receiving labels as soft after its season-opening loss at Florida State. Alabama responded by winning 10 of its next 11 games to reach the SEC Championship before a 21-point loss to Georgia brought the Crimson Tide to reality as the playoff's No. 9 seed.

Cignetti's Hoosiers brought a far more predictable run to No. 1 with Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza asserting himself as the frontrunner early after a win at Oregon and solidifying the honor with a final-second drive at Penn State and win over Ohio State in the Big Ten finale.