If last week was the Duck hunt, this week is Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti’s hunt against complacency. The Hoosiers are coming off their second-biggest win in program history in a 30-20 win at No.3 Oregon. IU is the talk of college football again. They have EARNED their highest AP rating in school history and are playing a team coming in on a three-game losing streak where there were more questions about their head coach’s future than the opponent.
The Hoosiers take on Michigan State in the Old Brass Spittoon game on Saturday afternoon, but the most important matchup will be Cignetti’s extreme focus on the task at hand. The narrative has shifted from can IU make the College Football Playoff to what seed will they be and when do people book hotels in Indy for the Big Ten Championship team.
The series with Michigan State is lopsided historically, but has recently heated up even if it’s a little odd in fashion. The road team has won this matchup the last five years. IU has claimed the Spittoon three times since 2019 and each win came on the road. Michigan State won in 2021 and 2023 in Bloomington.
Cignetti has made it clear he stalks complacency and this is the week to sniff it out and shut it down. Multiple times last week he got on players for going down hurt and coming back a couple plays later, he wanted them to be tougher.
IU has not given much reason to think that they will take their foot off the gas, but the ingredients are there for a let down in the past.
Michigan State on the other hand is on quit watch. They have lost three in a row and were blown out at home by UCLA. The heat is on Jonathan Smith already and his starting quarterback is banged up. Aiden Chiles has been better this year, but got hurt against UCLA. The Spartan offensive line is missing two starters and the defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone.
Will Cignetti squash the complacency that could creep in for the Hoosiers and move Michigan State from a quit watch to a full blown quit warning?
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