If the broadcast cameras focused solely on Indiana coach Curt Cignetti during the Rose Bowl, viewers may have thought the No. 1-ranked Hoosiers lost to No. 9 Alabama in a blowout. Instead, the inverse was true. Indiana obliterated the Crimson Tide, 38-3, leaving no doubt that it would advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal as the favorite to win its first national championship. Yet Cignetti did not crack a smile until after the game was over.

Screenshots of Cignetti’s facial expressions circulated across the Internet throughout the Rose Bowl. From his expressionless gaze to his looks of displeasure, the second-year Hoosiers coach never appeared satisfied with his team’s performance in a game that was never in doubt. And that’s exactly what he wanted.

“There’s a lot of times I am happy. I just don’t show I’m happy,” Cignetti said in a joint press conference with Dan Lanning ahead of Friday’s Peach Bowl. “If I’m going to ask my players to play the first game, first play to play 150 the same regardless of the competitive circumstances, then I can’t be seen on the sideline high-fiving people and celebrating, or what’s gonna happen? What’s the effect gonna be? That’s why I am like I am during games.”
Translation: Cignetti emphasizes his need for a serious approach on the sidelines to maintain discipline and focus.

Cignetti’s demeanor during the CFP quarterfinal rout was no one-off occurrence. It was not some gimmick, either. Anyone who keeps a close eye on him during games — whether it be a playoff battle or a regular-season matchup with an FCS opponent — will see the same scowl.

“I gotta make important decisions and manage the game,” Cignetti asserted. “These decisions we have to make in terms of game management, when to use a timeout and when not to use a timeout, whether to be aggressive in two-minute … you gotta be dialed in and thinking ahead.”

Nothing could be more on-brand for the coach who built a boring-by-design superpower in Bloomington, Indiana in the span of just two years. Cignetti demands the absolute most of his players, and far more often than not, that is exactly what he gets. The Hoosiers rarely take their foot off the pedal regardless of what the scoreboard reads, and that is why the program that entered the year with more losses than any other in college football history is suddenly 25-2 under Cignetti’s watch.

“I’ll smile and celebrate later in the coaches’ room with the coaches, maybe have a beer. Of course, in the playoffs, you gotta do nine or 10 different press conferences after the game, so that’s about an hour and a half later. … So, no, I do smile, and I am happy — at times.”

Cignetti will surely be happy if Indiana (14-0) defeats No. 5 Oregon (13-1) in Friday’s CFP semifinal showdown in Atlanta. The Hoosiers seek to improve to 2-0 on the year against the Ducks and move one step away from a national championship.