nypost
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has joined the growing chorus of critics unhappy with the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings of the season. During his weekly radio show on Wednesday, Cignetti took aim at ESPN, accusing the network of showing favoritism toward the SEC at the expense of other conferences, including the Big Ten and his Hoosiers.
"They're given instructions on what to say, and they follow the company line," Cignetti said of ESPN's college football analysts. He added, "The SEC gets a lot of love from ESPN, and all their writers that they don't technically pay but march to their drum. That's why you see all these SEC teams up there, you know, some good two-loss teams from the Big Ten not quite as high. But like I said, it's all gonna be played out on the field."
ESPN holds the national television rights for the SEC and the media rights for the College Football Playoff, a relationship that Cignetti implied could influence perceptions. The network's influence was evident in the rankings, which featured 10 SEC teams in the top 25 compared to just six from the Big Ten.
Cignetti also took to X on Wednesday to defend his team's credentials, sharing a graphic that highlighted Indiana's nation-leading five victories over teams with winning records. He captioned the post, "Facts are stubborn things."
The rankings themselves have sparked debate. The defending national champions debuted at No. 4 with an 8-1 record, while two-loss Alabama landed at No. 5, one spot behind the Hoosiers and ahead of undefeated UCLA. Ohio State, which handed Indiana its only loss, checked in at No. 12. Undefeated Miami claimed the top spot and is set to face No. 11 Notre Dame on Saturday.
After a bye week, the Hoosiers will host No. 20 USC in Bloomington on Nov. 14, providing Cignetti's team another opportunity to let their play do the talking.
Key Analysis
Cignetti's remarks highlight the ongoing tension between conference affiliations and media partnerships in college football. With ESPN's dual role as a broadcaster and playoff rights holder, accusations of bias are unlikely to fade, especially as the playoff picture evolves. The Hoosiers' upcoming matchup against USC will be a crucial test of whether Indiana can back up its coach's confident stance on the field.
Originally reported by nypost.