2024 was supposed to be the year for Indiana football—a season that finally flipped the script, turned doubters into believers, and had the Big Ten double-checking their calendars like, ‘Is this real life? We are more than a basketball school? Indiana’s good now?’ Indiana bought in a new head coach from James Madison, Curt Cignetti. Boy, did he pull off what seemed low-key impossible, dragging a 3-9 squad from the pits of irrelevance to a crazy 11-2 finish. The Hoosiers even made their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, with the type of Cinderella vibes that would make Disney proud.

But you know how fairy tales go: there’s always a twist. While Indiana fans were busy popping bottles and telling their cousins in South Bend, ‘See? We’re legit now, Curt Cignett’ finna carry to natty in 2025′ the rest of the Big Ten was like, “Nah, y’all still the same ol’ Hoosiers.” And they weren’t wrong.

Sure, Indiana cracked the top ten and had folks talking about the Hoosiers like they were a real football program. But all that hype couldn’t cover up one glaring fact: Indiana hasn’t won a bowl game since 1991. Let me repeat that for the folks in the back—1991! That’s like 34 years, a whole generation of heartbreak.

Having a bowl win since 1991
byu/barlog123 inTheB1G

And guess what? When they had their best shot to break the curse, the Fighting Irish came through like the school bully, knocking their lunch tray to the ground with a 27-17 playoff beat-down. So, yeah, while Indiana fans were busy hanging “Best Season Ever!” banners, the rest of the Big 10 were looking at their bowl record and laughing like, “That’s cute. Now win one.”

Let’s go on a lil history ride of Bloomington. Indiana’s bowl record isn’t just bad—it’s straight-up embarrassing. Let’s break it down: they’ve played in 13 bowl games all-time and have only won three. Their last win? Back when gas was $1.10 a gallon, people were renting movies from Blockbuster, and The Fresh Prince was still in Bel-Air. The Hoosiers under Curt Cignetti even managed to keep the streak alive during their “historic” 2024 season. Sure, they made the playoffs, but when it was time to show up, they crumbled like Pillsbury cookies. And if you think B1G fans were gonna let that slide, you clearly don’t know how Reddit works.

Top Comment by ilikesports

This was dumb and I stopped reading half way through. Not even an IU fan. Way to use reddit as...more

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The fans on Reddit roast Indiana Hoosiers’ bowl game woes

If Indiana fans thought the rest of the Big Ten was about to give them flowers for their “historic” season, Reddit had other plans. A Reddit user goes by the name of ‘Barlog123’ posted a meme making fun of Indiana and turned the Big Ten subreddit into a roast session, and honestly? They had receipts ready. Let’s dive into some of the spiciest comments, backed by cold, hard stats.

The Reddit users started with not very fun fact, “Unfun fact… prior to Cignetti, Indiana hasn’t had a coach with a winning percentage above 47% since 1947.” Man, Reddit didn’t even warm up—they went straight for the jugular. Let that sink in: no Indiana coach has been able to keep their head above .500 for 76 years. That’s diabolical, right? That was before the invention of color TV. While teams like Michigan and Ohio State were stacking national titles like it was their side hustle, Indiana was out here just trying not to drown in mediocrity.

Indiana fan chimed in, “You are disturbing my calm.” Indiana fans are low-key different. When the roasting got too hot, this fan tried to keep their cool, but let’s be honest—there’s no calm when you’re carrying a 34-year bowl-losing streak. “Disturbing my calm” might be the Hoosiers’ motto at this point because every December, they manage to find new ways to fumble the bag. Indiana’s last bowl win came in 1991. Since then, Big Ten powerhouses like Ohio State and Nebraska have won three national championships each. Michigan? Two. Indiana’s playoff appearance? Two or three?

Next user bought some receipts, “Yikes. Since 1991, Nebraska and Ohio State each have 3 National Titles, Michigan and USC each have a pair, and Washington has 1.” This one hit like a truck. While Indiana’s been stuck in their losing streak, teams like Nebraska and Michigan have been racking up rings. Even Washington has more postseason hardware than Indiana. That’s gotta sting. Since 1991, every single Big Ten program—except Indiana—has won a bowl game. Even Rutgers (yes, Rutgers) has a more recent win, with their last victory in 2014.

The Indiana hater came to remind, “AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT.” Indiana’s all-time bowl record is 3-10. That’s a .231 winning percentage. It’s so bad that even Illinois, a team mocked for its football irrelevance, has a better bowl history (9-12).

The last user, put it in one word, “Cold…” it says it all. Even when Indiana fans tried to defend themselves, the truth was colder than a December game in Bloomington. The Hoosiers had their best season ever in 2024 and still couldn’t break the streak. If they couldn’t do it with a playoff-caliber team, when will they? The Hoosiers have appeared in six bowl games since 1991. They’ve lost every single one. The closest they came was the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl against Duke, which they lost in OT.

For all the progress Indiana made in 2024, the bowl game streak is the one record they can’t escape. Reddit’s roast session wasn’t just harsh—it was fair. Winning in the regular season is cute, but until Indiana can prove they’re built for postseason success, they’ll always be always known as a basketball school.

Curt Cignetti gave fans a glimmer of hope, but hope only gets you so far. Bowl wins? That’s what puts respect on your name. Until then, Indiana fans better brace themselves for more roasting because the Big Ten is never letting that 1991 drought slide.