LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Curt Cignetti has an unbeaten football team, a No. 2 national ranking, and a ticket to the Big Ten Championship on the line. But in the run-up to the 128th meeting between Indiana and Purdue, if you think he’s talking about any of that, you haven’t been paying attention.

He was talking about Purdue.

Not Indianapolis. Not style points. Not committee politics. Just Purdue, Friday night at 7:30. NBC has the broadcast. The Hoosiers are 28.5-point favorites.

“We are 100% focused on Purdue and nothing else,” he said. “If you don’t respect your opponent, then you’re starting in a bad spot.”

Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford

Entirely predictable, and successful. Cignetti was unemotional, unmoved, utterly uninterested in your playoff hypotheticals or your end-of-season narratives.

And that, perhaps more than anything, explains why Indiana football is where it is, not just on the verge of a perfect regular season, but on the edge of something bigger.

There are scenarios where Indiana could lose to Purdue and miss the Big Ten championship game. Cignetti and the Hoosiers are focused on not making those a concern.

Among the second-year coach’s achievements in Bloomington is a rather dramatic change in the dynamic of this in-state rivalry. Purdue leads the series 78-43-6. But Indiana won last year's meeting 66-0. Its highest point total and victory margin in the Old Oaken Bucket series.

When Cignetti arrived, the two programs were roughly even, competitive, but inconsistent. A rivalry built more on proximity than postseason implications. Now, Indiana is playing for the highest stakes in the country. Purdue is playing for pride.

Cignetti isn’t gloating about it. He’s executing it.

Asked about Purdue’s growth under Barry Odom, Cignetti gave measured praise. He noted how hard they’ve played, how competitive they’ve been in close losses. He talked about their schemes, their effort, their identity.

But there was a quiet separation in tone, the kind that shows up on Saturdays.

Cignetti is not building a team that competes. He’s building one that expects to win.

If he is feeling the weight of what’s on the line, he doesn’t show it. Not when asked how close the playoff committee might be watching. Not even when asked if his quarterback is about to play in freezing conditions for the first time in his career.

“We still have to throw the ball,” he said with a small smile. “It’s going to be cold for everybody.”

Fernando Mendoza has thrown for more than 2,800 yards this season at Indiana. He’s played with poise, toughness, and command. But he also played high school ball in Miami and started his college career at Cal. Friday night in West Lafayette might be the first time his breath fogs before the snap.

Cignetti doesn’t seem concerned. Mendoza is built for this, he said earlier this season, because he prepares like no one he’s ever coached. Cold hands? Different zip on the ball? Let the fans worry about that. The quarterback and the coach are focused on throws, not thermometers.

And when asked if he was tempted to ease key players back in, knowing the Big Ten title game is just a week away, Cignetti bristled.

“Look,” he said. “We’re going on the road to play a Big Ten football team, in-state rival. That’s all we’re thinking about.”

This isn’t just a coach holding the line. This is a program redefining the line for itself. Indiana football is no longer chasing a rivalry win to salvage a season. It’s chasing Purdue as a matter of process. And chasing history along the way.

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