At 6-0 and ranked 16th in the AP poll, Indiana moves from a beloved curiosity to the main stage of college football fascination beginning this week. The Hoosiers host Nebraska in Fox's Big Noon game, and the schedule doesn't get much easier after that.
Washington comes to Bloomington on Oct. 26, followed by a trip to Michigan State. November brings No. 24 Michigan to Memorial Stadium, and Nov. 23 takes IU to the Horseshoe in what could effectively be a Big Ten semifinal game before closing the regular season with Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game (the Boilers have won three in a row and five of six).
When the calendar flips from November to December, Indiana could be in the thick of the College Football Playoff race, or they could be gearing up for the Quick Lane Bowl.
IU head coach Curt Cignetti has made the media rounds recently, and for good reason. He's been the most quotable coach in college football, quite literally since he took the job back in December.
"I win. Google me," he memorably said at his introductory press conference.
"Purdue sucks, but so does Michigan and Ohio State," he told the crowd at a Hoosiers basketball game soon after taking the job.
To hear the coach of Indi-freaking-ana talk that way was entertaining, and then to see him back it up (so far... Purdue, Michigan and Ohio State will all get their say next month) is something unlike we've ever seen in college football.
Those quotes packed a Tyson-in-his-prime punch in terms of introducing Cignetti to his audience and the nation, and an interview with Hoosiers Connect, Cignetti says he uses the same strategy for getting his point across with the team.
"I put a lot of time into what I'm going to say and I don't say much to the team," he said. "I try to make every word count so that the message resonates. If you talk too much, sometimes you get tuned out and then it's really hard to get them back."
Cignetti then rolled into a series of Cig-isms, compiled over a 40-year coaching career that's seen him win 125 games at IUP, Elon, James Madison and Indiana.
"We believe that with proper preparation, the commitment and discipline, that there's no self-imposed limitations to what we can accomplish. Day in, day out. Play in, play out."
"We play that way: one play at a time, six seconds a play. Every play's got a life and history of its own."
"Fast, physical, relentless. Eleven guys doing their job."
"Smart, disciplined, poised."
"Not affected by success or failure, on to the next play."
"Never satisfied, never. The time to be satisfied is at the end of the game, not during the game."
"If you can get guys to play that way, at the end they're not looking at the scoreboard, they're just doing their thing, and they're also not affected one or two score down in the second quarter. I've had team four scores down in the second quarter come back and win," Cignetti concluded.
When Cignetti talks, the public and his players listen. And as he explained, there's a lot of strategy behind why that's the case.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.