LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The grumbling from the Southeastern Conference spring meetings in Destin, Florida, this week was loud, relentless and easy to translate.
The SEC poobahs remain perturbed that their league failed to place more than three teams in the first 12-team college football playoff.
They're not pleased the SEC failed to dominate its signature sport the way the league put 13 of its 16 teams in the NCAA men's basketball tournament as well as the baseball tournament that begins this week.
And if you read between the lines, you'll understand that commissioner Greg Sankey and many of his coaches reach for their blood pressure medication any time they are reminded that Indiana made the playoff field ahead of Alabama, Ole Miss, Auburn, South Carolina, Missouri, Florida, LSU, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky.
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That was more annoying than Ohio State winning the title over Notre Dame.
The Hoosiers scheduled their way to success.
The Hoosiers became the teacher's pet of the playoff committee.
The Hoosiers didn't belong. The system needs to change. More teams. More automatic qualifiers (four) for the SEC. More reliance on computer models than a clueless committee.
Blah, blah, blah. Yada, yada, yada.
If you expected an apology from Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti and his players, then you believe in the Playoff Fairy.
"We've brought in a lot of winners," IU receiver Elijah Sarratt said. "We had a good group last year but, of course, we're tying to improve on the season we had last year."
"It's buzzing a little bit (in Bloomington)," IU linebacker Aiden Fisher said. "Indiana's an exciting place to be, an exciting place to play at right now.
"Everybody's really excited around the town. It's not so much of a 'What are we going to do this year? Or, are we going to be good?'
"That's the standard now, and everybody knows that. So there's a lot of excitement, especially within the team."
A year after the Hoosiers didn't have to play Oregon or Penn State and lost their most challenging road game at Ohio State, the Hoosiers open Big Ten play with Illinois (a likely preseason Top 25) team, a game at Iowa and another visit to top-five Oregon. The schedule also requires a November trip to Penn State, another likely top-10 team.
Cignetti is here to remind you how the schedule is perceived in May is not the way it will be perceived in December.
"When you looked at last year's schedule, we played the national champ (Michigan) and the runner-up (Washington)," Cignetti said Wednesday night at an IU fundraising event in Borden, Indiana.
"... and I believe, nine teams that went the bowls. OK, at the end of the season, when you looked at that schedule, it looked not quite as challenging as it did in the off season. Because you never know what these teams (are), right? Things change.
"But we'll have a very competitive, Big Ten schedule, looking forward to it, some good road challenges for sure ...
"... But, like, you look at last year's schedule before the season started, it looked like a real tough schedule, right?
"Led the country in point differential. Second in the country in scoring. First in the country against the run. Second in the country in defense, least amount of yards given up.
"Didn't trail until ninth game of the year ... not bad."
I read those quotes several times after Cignetti delivered them. I can confirm they weren't intended to serve as an apology to the group concluding its meetings in Destin.
This Indiana team could be more talented than the 2024 Indiana squad. That doesn't mean the Hoosiers will win 11 games. It doesn't mean they will return to the playoffs.
It doesn't mean anything, other than the Hoosiers could be better at quarterback, running back, receiver, offensive line and tight end. The questions will be on defense.
Cignetti brought two players to Hubers —Fisher and Sarratt, a pair of seniors who came to IU because of the coach.
I asked what this group can do for an encore.
"Just try to do the same things we did last year and improve on the things we didn't go good," Sarratt said.
"I'd say the good part about it is there is a lot of room for improvement, even with the solid year that we had," Fisher said.
"Obviously we had two losses and things we made mistakes with in those games. But there's so much room for improvement. It can only go up from there."
Cignetti, for the record, said he did not have a preference for how the FBS college football playoff should be structured. He has extensive playoff experience at the FCS and Division 2 levels.
The thing that matters to him is developing his team and winning games, not griping about the process.
"I'm not paid to (fix the playoff system)," he said. "I'm paid to win football games, graduate students and provide a good experience.
"We've got to do our part to be a part of the college football playoff next year. And we did it last year and didn't like the way we finished.
"I've been a part of all the different formats, being in D2 and FCS, and at the end of the day, there's one team standing.
"So whether you start with 64 or eight, there will be one team standing at the end, right? And no matter what the number is, somebody's going to feel bad that they got left out. It's just the way it works. You know, you can't make everybody happy.
"So we'll see what happens. We know what it is this year — and that's straight seeding. I think it's a good thing.
"It would have been nice to have had that last year. Had a home game and (been) a 12 1/2-point favorite, but you know, we were still in control of our own destiny and didn't get the job done.
"So, you know, if you pin me down, I probably have an opinion, but that it's not worth stating,"
Expect no apologies from Bloomington.
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