Do you know when was the last time the Indiana Hoosiers were able to defeat Ohio State? Well, more than three decades have passed. It was on October 8, 1988. Yes, if it had been 2023 Indiana, the Hoosiers might have lost hope this season as well. But now they are on cloud nine with their godfather, Curt Cignetti, who gifted the program a 10-0 undefeated streak. But maybe that’s not enough to woo Bruce Feldman, as the analyst drops in his predictions that are not going to be the usual ones. But not to forget, Cignetti’s boys have timing in their favor. 

Well, if you take a look at history and the numbers, the Hoosiers are going to disappoint you, for sure! After all, Indiana and Ohio State have met each other 97 times. And out of all, the Hoosiers could only grab victory 12 times! However, it looks like the program has now gone through a rebirth, thanks to the man who not only talks big but also walks the talk! Yes, Cignetti was right when he claimed, “Google me, I win.” Now he seems to be one of the most trending college coaches who gifted his program 10 wins this season as compared to only 9 wins over the past three seasons. So, it’s natural that Indiana will smoothly slide into the playoffs. Sadly, that’s not enough for the Hoosiers to win Feldman’s confidence. On The Audible podcast with Stewart Mandel, The Athletic writer commented on the Buckeyes’ chance, “14% its up from 10% because most powerful offensive line that Ohio has.”

Not even for once did he deny how Ryan Day’s squad had already struggled: “Now they have been very shaky upfront.” However, Feldman poured his votes in their favor, as he added, “I still think Ohio State is so much talented than Indiana but Indiana is playing with a lot of confidence…I think they have some matchups that are favorable but I still think Ohio State is gonna pull away from them.” Definitely, that’s something that goes beyond the expectations of the fans seeing Cigentti with a solid 10-0 streak lose to Day’s boys, who are 9-1. While we are yet to figure out the end results of the November 23 game, Cignetti has already joined the Ohio State HC’s elite rank.  

Ohio State’s golden era fades as Curt Cignetti rises

The Buckeyes were coming off as quite strong. But poor Day! His boys stumbled for the one and only time this season, losing to Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks. Maybe that’s what Cignetti had been waiting for! Lucky for them, they now are held as the benchmark. At the same time, Day seems to be slowly losing the trust of the fans and analysts alike, as podcast host Jay Stephens claimed, “If the Buckeyes don’t get results, there’s a problem.” However, Ohio State was not supposed to witness this dark side.

After all, not Cignetti, it was the Buckeyes HC who gave his program a taste of success, starting his tenure with 10-0 at Big 10 school. And Day’s stats are known to all. Taking the reins of the program and holding his hands, the Buckeyes shot up to the top with their 2013 undefeated regular season (12-0). But gone are those days!

Until now, Ryan Day enjoyed the top seat in the list of the head coaches who made it to the top for maintaining a 10-0 streak. Now it’s time for Curt Cignetti to replace the Ohio State HC and enjoy sitting at the top of the table. However, he needs to be a little careful about his signal-caller Kurtis Rourke and protect him by all means.