The pain is real right now for Indiana Hoosiers football fans everywhere. Indiana went 11-1 during the regular season, silencing all of their haters. What Curt Cignetti was able to get done wasn't only unreal, but it was downright historic.
There's a reason Indiana gave Cignetti his massive extension. However, fans are a bit disappointed after the Hoosiers weren't able to get the job done against Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
In the end, Notre Dame posted a 27-17 win over Cignetti and his playmakers. Indiana was dominated from start to finish, which was frustrating to watch. Is it a bummer? Yes. Does it take away from how far the program has gone in 2024? Not a chance.
Indiana fans still have a lot to be proud of despite early CFP exit
It wasn't long ago that Indiana was consistently in the basement of the Big Ten. How many times did Hoosiers supporters watch this program post a losing season and get embarrassed against the heavyweights in the conference? Posting 11 wins is unreal! The good thing too is plenty of people aren't letting the loss to ND spoil the season as a whole:
Indiana finishes Year 1 of the Curt Cignetti era:
— TorresOnIndiana (@TorresOnIndiana) December 21, 2024
* 11-2
* Most wins in school history
* Best start in school history
* In the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff
Don't let anyone steal your joy tonight.
Just an INCREDIBLE season. And the best is yet to come #iufb😤😤 pic.twitter.com/IrPpmsEpf5
Indiana had a great season and should be proud. Nobody has ever looked at Hoosier FOOTBALL seriously and Curt Cignetti came in & turned them around in a year. Pretty sure had you told them 6 months ago they would go 11-1 & make the CFP they would have happily taken that
— RC20 (@RCritic20) December 21, 2024
Great season, Indiana. Thank you to @CCignettiIU, the coaching staff, Scott Dolson and all the players for getting us Hoosiers fan something to cheer for and be proud of! Can’t wait til next year.
— Beezo (@Beezo_13) December 21, 2024
All I know is that i’m confident Indiana Football for many years will become more and more competitive. As most of these haters become irrelevant or their teams lose… chances are IU will be a winning program this decade.
— Liam Duddy (@LiamDuddy4) December 21, 2024
Proud of @IndianaFootball, don’t worry just keep winning.
Proud of Indiana football. You don’t build a national championship contending program overnight. Big step. Get to crootin & focus on the path ahead.
— Indiana Jones (@JonahLevine15) December 21, 2024
That's just a small sample size of the incredible amount of support that's being sent the program's way on social media. Before the campaign even started, who would have thought that Indiana would have finished the regular season as a Top 10 team?
Who would have thought that the team would be in the College Football Playoff for the first time in its history? Had you offered both of those facts up to Hoosiers fans in late August, they would have taken it in a second.
The feeling of 'what could have been' might stick around for a little while, but there's no question that Cignetti has things moving in the right direction. He and his players should be given a parade for what they were able to get done. It was truly an unreal fall for this roster. Take a bow, everyone.