Curt Cignetti gives Indiana football harsh CFP reality check before Ohio State game

Curt Cignetti gives Indiana football harsh CFP reality check before Ohio State game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's safe to assume that Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti is as old-school as they come.

Look no further than his most recent press availability Sunday ahead of his team's conference title game against the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Cignetti is all business. He couldn't care less about the hype, regardless of whether it relates to it being a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, or clinching a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

"I think you're playing this game for a reason," Cignetti told reporters. "A Big Ten championship means an awful lot, and I think the way you play should mean something, because it's a game. It'll be the last thing you put on the field, and I don't expect any handouts."

Therefore, the objective is simple: win the game and the rest will take care of itself.

"I don't think there's much balance there," Cignetti said about the transition from game-to-game. "We're treating this like a one-game season. It's the next opponent. If we get done what we want to get done, we won't play again for 30 days. And there'll be plenty of time to recover from our bumps and bruises, etc."

Cignetti said he's only focused on what his team can control, and nothing else outside of it.

"This game means an awful lot," Cignetti said. "It's a Big Ten championship. It's a great conference. We're playing a great opponent. So, all eyes and focus are in preparation toward this game."

Ultimately, as much as the goal is to win, Cignetti said he wants reassurance from his team, knowing that it still has yet to win a game in the playoff era once it officially begins.

"Either way, coming out of this game, there will be a response to how you played and the result in preparation for the next opponent," Cignetti said.

Should the Hoosiers come away victorious, it will not only represent that the story is far from over in Bloomington, but it also shows that they are a team worth choosing to make a deep postseason run, considering that it would have a win over No. 1 on their schedule entering the field.

Only time will tell whether it happens, but if it does, it's part of an even bigger story that still has not been fully written for Indiana.