When he was introduced at an Indiana men's basketball game last December , new football coach Curt Cignetti did not hold back.
"I don't plan on taking a back seat to anybody," Cignetti told the Hoosier faithful. "Purdue sucks, but so does Michigan and Ohio State. Go IU."
When Cignetti was asked to explain his comments at Big Ten Media Days Thursday, he said he was harkening back to legendary comments former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel made upon his arrival in Columbus.
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"We are in the entertainment business," Cignetti said, per the Indianapolis Star . "It’s coaching, but it’s entertainment. I remember Jim Tressel, when he went to Ohio State, he said something about beating Michigan. ... I just ramped that up a little bit I guess. You've got 17,000 people in the basketball arena and I’ve got to get them excited.
"The first part was easy, but why stop there and set the bar at 6-6? We're going after these two. We want to be the best."
In January 2001 when he was hired as John Cooper's replacement, Tressel vowed during an Ohio State men's basketball game that fans would be proud of the team "most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor." Tressel led Ohio State to a 26-20 road victory that November, his first of nine wins against the Wolverines in 10 seasons.
Ohio State will face Indiana Nov. 23 at Ohio Stadium. And if Cignetti and the Hoosiers beat the Buckeyes, it would be Indiana's first win against Ohio State since 1988.
Ohio State currently holds a 28-game win streak against Indiana. The teams tied during the 1990 season.
Ohio State football schedule 2024
- Aug. 31: Ohio State vs. Akron; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Sept. 7: Ohio State vs. Western Michigan; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Sept. 21: Ohio State vs. Marshall; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Sept. 28: Ohio State at Michigan State; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
- Oct. 5: Ohio State vs. Iowa; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Oct. 12: Ohio State at Oregon; Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
- Oct. 26: Ohio State vs. Nebraska; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Nov. 2: Ohio State at Penn State; Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
- Nov. 9: Ohio State vs. Purdue; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Nov. 16: Ohio State at Northwestern; Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Nov. 23: Ohio State vs. Indiana; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
- Nov. 30: Ohio State vs. Michigan; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said he channeled Jim Tressel when saying Ohio State 'sucks'
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