Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers unofficially grabbed the label of the “scariest team” in college football following their historic, one-sided 38–3 beatdown of Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl. According to Indiana quarterback and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, it all came down to two blunt words from Curt Cignetti.

Right after their first-ever Rose Bowl appearance, Mendoza spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe and shared the message Cignetti drilled into the team throughout the month leading up to the game.

“Coach Cig has hit us with ‘no complacency,’ especially when you have a bye. It’s tough to keep the rhythm of football,” Fernando Mendoza said. “But once we got our feet on the ground, we knew we were going to stick together and come out with this.”

Cignetti was adamant about one thing: the Hoosiers were not going to get lazy, rusty, or comfortable during the nearly month-long break, according to Fernando Mendoza. He essentially used Ohio State’s loss to Miami as an example, showing that, after a long break, anything can happen in the playoffs, regardless of ranking and record.

The Hoosiers clearly took that advice to heart. They had been on an absolute tear all season, sitting at a perfect 14-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country.

Instead of showing signs of rust in Pasadena, Indiana played its cleanest, most violent football of the year. The Big 10 champions handed Alabama arguably its worst loss in 101 years, even surpassing the Crimson Tide’s 32-point defeat to Nebraska in the 1971 Rose Bowl.

Looking back at that Ohio State vs. Miami game, you could really see where things went south for the Buckeyes. That almost month-long break before the Cotton Bowl is widely seen as what totally messed up Ohio State’s rhythm. Instead of coming out fresh and ready, the extra time off seemed to make them a bit complacent and dull.

Ryan Day didn’t dodge the topic after the game, openly admitting how difficult the 26-day break made things during his post-game press conference:

“I felt like it took us a while to get into the rhythm of the game,” Day said. “I thought we did coming out of the second half. It would take a very efficient second half to win the game, being down 14–0. But I felt like at that point, we got into a rhythm. When we had that drive where we took a shot, it was incomplete.”

Rusty patches were visible all over the field.

Ohio State’s offensive line struggled badly, giving up four or five sacks and allowing pressure every time Julian Sayin decides to drop back. Add in questionable play-calling from Ryan Day and Jayden Fielding’s missed field-goal attempt, and the effects of that long layoff were impossible to ignore.

Truth be told, the Buckeyes are seeing a long list of work to be done.

Ohio State Buckeyes offseason checklist:

Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes have a clear list of things to tackle this offseason. The primary goals are straightforward: to become a certified play-caller (OC), a specialist in trench work, and a field-goal specialist.

The mammoth task on the agenda is finding a new offensive coordinator. With Brian Hartline departing for the head coaching job at South Florida, Ryan Day may want to consider pursuing Brian Daboll or even North Texas OC Jordan Davis. Word around Columbus is that the tight end coach is making some noise about a promotion.

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Another crucial area for refinement is in the trenches, both on offense and defense. The defensive line is expected to lose major talent to the NFL, such as All-American tackle Kayden McDonald and edges Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Arvell Reese. Plus, they need to find their new Caleb Downs-esque baller for the next season.

Most importantly, get rid of that O-line for allowing almost 9 or 10 sacks in 2 postseason games.

Besides the obvious, the Buckeyes need to fine-tune a couple of other things. Special teams had its ups and downs, and with Jayden Fielding out of eligibility, finding a reliable kicker is on the wishlist. They should hit Illinois’ David Olano.

Ryan Day needs to roll up his sleeves and get to work this offseason.