Most coaches, when making their introductory press briefs, choose to be diplomatic and subtle, but when Curt Cignetti arrived at Indiana, we all knew a revolution was coming. From publicly proclaiming he’s the special one by saying, “I win Google me,” to challenging giants like Ohio State and Michigan, “Purdue s—! But so does Michigan and Ohio State!” Curt Cignetti has truly lived up to these iconic quotes after finishing 11-2 last year. However, with that winning mentality comes some costs to pay.

The 2024 season was the best in the Hoosiers’ history as they had the best start (10-0) ever and the first 8-0 start since 1967. Although they made it to the playoffs, it didn’t come without some strength-of-schedule accusations. For instance, their non-conference slate was widely believed to be one of the weakest, with opponents like Charlotte and Western Illinois. And now, with a crucial decision, Cignetti’s Indiana is out to repeat those mistakes, and for that, they must pay a 6 figure sum.

According to Brett McMurphy of On3 Sports, Indiana has canceled their home and home series against Virginia. The series was slated to go on in 2027-2028. Instead, the team will play Kennesaw State in 2027 and Austin Peay in 2028, along with Eastern Illinois in 2029. Sure, the move will not give them any non-conference fans, but it aligns with the strategy that Indiana and other B1G programs have followed after going 9 games in the conference. That said, it comes with damages that Indiana agreed to pay Virginia.

“Indiana cancels home/home series w/Virginia in 2027-28 & must pay Cavs’ $500,000 for canceling series, @michaelniziolek reports. Instead, Indiana has added home games w/Kennesaw State in 2027, Austin Peay in 2028 & Eastern Illinois in 2029,” wrote Brett McMurphy on X. Also, this isn’t the first time Indiana has done this.

In the 2023 season, Indiana, under its previous head coach Tom Allen, canceled their non-conference series with the Louisville Cardinals and was required to pay $1 million. The move at the time was inevitable since the Big 10 was adding teams like USC, Oregon, Washington, and Texas. So, Indiana played cautiously to offset the losses they could get by adding weaker non-conference opponents. But right now, under Curt Cignett, Indiana is a different story.

Yet, Indiana is going by the playbook it followed in the 2023 season under Tom Allen. The idea is to get those 3 easy non-conference wins in order to offset any losses they get in conference games. Like how they coped after getting humbled by the Buckeyes last year. Maybe the cost of it would be $1.5 million (from 2023 to 2025), but they are willing to pay that, right?

Is Curt Cignetti running out of time to fix his major position problem?

This year, Indiana has brought in several key transfers to cope with the departures they had after their 11-win season. Cignetti has added Jonathan Brady from California to the WR room, and most importantly, Fernando Mendoza as their signal-caller, who comes after throwing for 3,004 yards last year. Yet, despite the promise of a bolstered QB and WR room, there’s one thing they must correct fast and soon.

Jacob Goins of ‘Locked on Hoosiers’ provided the position where Cignetti might need to work harder, and only then can they continue their 2024 momentum. “I think it has to be on the defensive side of the football for Indiana because as great as the offense will be with Fernando Mendoza and the receivers and the running back by committee room and what I think is an impress or an improved offensive line, I think it has to be the defensive side of the football for the Hoosier.”

To be honest? The defense isn’t bad either for Indiana, with transfer additions like Stephen Daley, Louis Moore, and Hosea Wheeler. Yet, when your team is set to face teams like Oregon and Penn State on the road, even a small mistake can lead to big problems. All in all, Cignetti has the personnel; all they need is that extra edge to get through these grueling matchups.