Curt Cignetti Torches ESPN for Apparently Giving Rival Conference ‘a Lot of Love’ After Hoosiers Land at No. 4

The Indiana Hoosiers are having another stellar season. Sitting at 8–1, they have comfortably debuted at No. 4 in the initial 2026 College Football Playoff rankings, even if they are still striving to meet head coach Curt Cignetti’s ultra-high expectations.

However, when ESPN analysts began questioning Indiana’s top-four status, Cignetti took issue with the criticism, pointing the finger right back at the network and accusing them of favoring the SEC over every other conference.

Curt Cignetti says ESPN favors SEC after Hoosiers land at No. 4 in CFP rankings

Indiana has no wins over a committee-ranked team and played no Power Four nonconference opponents, instead facing North Texas, Howard, and Western Kentucky.

Furthermore, their last three wins came by seven points or less, including a tight defensive battle against Michigan and an overtime victory over Minnesota. So, when the rankings went public, several ESPN personalities doubted whether the reigning national champions truly belonged that high.

Heather Dinich called Indiana the biggest surprise of the night, adding, “And Indiana, if you watched them play against Michigan and then again against Minnesota, didn’t pass the eye test. Josh Hoover was benched. If you look at the nonconference schedule, it is one of the weakest among all of these contenders.”

Paul Finebaum and Greg McElroy also criticized the committee for ranking a two-loss Ohio State team 12th, eight spots behind Indiana. It is worth mentioning that the Buckeyes handily beat the Hoosiers 19-15 back on Oct. 17.

Cignetti addressed the network on his weekly radio show with Don Fischer Wednesday, specifically calling out ESPN’s corporate narrative without naming any analysts directly.

“These people, and there are a whole bunch of them, they march out of the tent, and they’re given instructions on what to say, and they follow the company line,” Cignetti said. “And I don’t need to go any further.”

NEW: Indiana’s Curt Cignetti on the College Football Playoff rankings:

“SEC gets a lot of love from ESPN, you know, and all their writers that they don’t technically pay, but march to their drum. So, and that’s why you see all these SEC teams up there, you know, and some good two-loss teams from the Big Ten, not quite as high. But like I said, it’s all going to be played out on the field.”

(via @TheHoosierOn3)

https://t.co/7PCRd98URq

— On3 (@On3) November 5, 2026

Highlighting the SEC’s presence in the rankings, the coach 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 those SEC teams up there, and some good two-loss teams from the Big Ten not quite as high. Like I said, it’s all gonna be played out on the field, so it really doesn’t matter right now.”

Cignetti’s claim carries substantial weight, considering ESPN holds the exclusive broadcast rights for the College Football Playoff and serves as a primary marketing partner for the SEC.

The conference led the rankings with 10 teams in the top 25, including five in the top 10. Some of those, like Alabama and Texas, have two losses but still ranked ahead of undefeated teams. Meanwhile, the Big Ten secured six spots in the top 25, with two-loss Ohio State sitting lower at No. 12.

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