Indiana's Curt Cignetti Appears to Shade SEC, Says Big Ten Doesn't 'Cry a River, Whine and Complain'

The Big Ten's war of words with the SEC appeared to add another entry Thursday.

"We don't run a hype machine up here in the Midwest," Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said at the conference's media days, per Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated. "When we fall short we don't cry a river, whine and complain. That's why we're the best."

Nobody in college football has more right to brag than Cignetti.

He took over a historically poor Hoosiers program before the 2024 campaign and immediately led them to the College Football Playoff before delivering an undefeated season and national championship in his second year at the helm.

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Indiana destroyed the SEC's Alabama 38-3 in the most recent CFP on the way to that title, which is part of a pattern of the Big Ten's takeover during the new era of the sport that features a 12-team playoff field, the transfer portal and NIL opportunities.

In fact, Indiana's national championship was the third straight for the Big Ten after Michigan and Ohio State each took home titles the previous two years. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti reminded everyone of that when he held his press conference next to the three trophies at media days:

It's not just at the top. The Big Ten is 8-2 in bowl games against the SEC in the 12-team CFP era and has been far more dominant in the CFP than its southern counterpart:

"They want to live in 2005 forever," Illinois head coach Bret Bielema told reporters when discussing the SEC at media days.

Cignetti may not have been that direct, but he didn't exactly hold back either in his efforts to let everyone know the Big Ten is now the king of college football despite the SEC's dominance in past eras.