Purdue coach Barry Odom took shot at Indiana football schedule. Curt Cignetti responds
Last week the fire came from closer to home. Purdue coach Barry Odom took a passing shot at the Hoosiers' preference for low-level nonconference opponents.
Cignetti said he saw Odom's comments, made last week on an Indianapolis radio show. Odom said teams owe it to fans to play schedules full of compelling games. Purdue plays Notre Dame annually in addition to its nine Big Ten games.
In the wake of news that IU had canceled future series with Virginia, Odom also took a swipe at his team's biggest rival.
"I could take the approach of one of the other schools in the state, cancel games and do some of those things, but the schedule is what it is," Odom said.
Tuesday at Big Ten media days, Cignetti was asked if he was surprised by Odom's comment.
Fire away: Purdue football coach Barry Odom takes shot at Indiana's schedule
"I like Barry Odom," Cignetti said, later winking. "Taking a shot at our schedule — did I think about it much? Not really, but that would be an overstatement.
"... Not that I didn't think much of it (as in) he shouldn't have done that. I saw it. It was a flicker in my brain, and then it was over."
Beyond this season. Purdue plays both Wake Forest and Notre Dame in both 2026 and 2028, North Carolina and the Fighting Irish in 2027, Vanderbilt in 2029 and TCU in 2030. Indiana currently has no power conference non-Big Ten games scheduled until a 2030 game against Notre Dame.
Despite an uninspiring nonconference schedule, the Hoosiers were prepared enough to beat Purdue 66-0 in last season's Old Oaken Bucket game. After that game, Purdue fired Ryan Walters and hired Odom.
Until that gap closes, Purdue coaches will have more concern about playing IU than who the Hoosiers play in the other 11 games.
Get IndyStar's IU coverage sent directly to your inbox with our IU Insider newsletter.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Lincoln Riley believes this year's Trojans have what it takes
The USC Trojans had a disappointing start to their tenure in the Big Ten last season. They finished 7-6 overall and had an abysmal 4-5 record in the conference. This was not the usual success we were accustomed to seeing from USC, even though the Trojans are in the Big Ten, the best conference in college football. The expectations were still higher. Lincoln Riley is confident with what he has in the building. He believes that this year will be different. Adrian Medina with the Sporting Tribune broke down Riley's recent comments on USC's depth this season. "Trojans Head Coach Lincoln Riley, entering his fourth year at USC, was confident about the team's sufficiency of depth and support during this year's Big 10 Media Day. It's very apparent that USC is extremely serious about making this football program and returning it back to being one of the greats of college football," Riley said in his opening statement at the podium. "With our current team, seeing how our roster has evolved on all sides, especially defensively, after the huge improvements that we've made a year ago. The championship-caliber depth that is starting to be established all across the board is something that we have all worked hard for." The Trojans have a better coaching staff now with the addition of former NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. They also have a more experienced roster this season. Out of their 68 players, 44 of them saw some action last season, and 17 Trojans got a chance to start. That is the experience needed to help the Trojans be a more competitive team this season in the Big Ten. They can mix in the talented freshmen and transfers they have acquired. It is notable to see Lincoln Riley have confidence in the team he is fielding this year, but now the talk needs to turn into action and results. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Lincoln Riley believes this year will be different with new USC roster
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Lincoln Riley believes this year's Trojans have what it takes
The USC Trojans had a disappointing start to their tenure in the Big Ten last season. They finished 7-6 overall and had an abysmal 4-5 record in the conference. This was not the usual success we were accustomed to seeing from USC, even though the Trojans are in the Big Ten, the best conference in college football. The expectations were still higher. Lincoln Riley is confident with what he has in the building. He believes that this year will be different. Adrian Medina with the Sporting Tribune broke down Riley's recent comments on USC's depth this season. "Trojans Head Coach Lincoln Riley, entering his fourth year at USC, was confident about the team's sufficiency of depth and support during this year's Big 10 Media Day. It's very apparent that USC is extremely serious about making this football program and returning it back to being one of the greats of college football," Riley said in his opening statement at the podium. "With our current team, seeing how our roster has evolved on all sides, especially defensively, after the huge improvements that we've made a year ago. The championship-caliber depth that is starting to be established all across the board is something that we have all worked hard for." The Trojans have a better coaching staff now with the addition of former NFL defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. They also have a more experienced roster this season. Out of their 68 players, 44 of them saw some action last season, and 17 Trojans got a chance to start. That is the experience needed to help the Trojans be a more competitive team this season in the Big Ten. They can mix in the talented freshmen and transfers they have acquired. It is notable to see Lincoln Riley have confidence in the team he is fielding this year, but now the talk needs to turn into action and results.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck praises former Nebraska wide receiver Malachi Coleman
A former Nebraska wide receiver is receiving high praise from his new head coach. Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck discussed the impact of Malachi Coleman on the Golden Gophers' offense while meeting with the press at Big Ten media days. Coleman transferred to Minnesota after spending two seasons at Nebraska. In 2023, he appeared in 11 games and had eight catches for 139 yards and one touchdown. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining after he redshirted in 2024. The Lincoln native was the No. 11 overall wide receiver in the 2023 class and the top player in his class from the state of Nebraska, according to the 247Sports Rankings. He committed to the Cornhuskers on December 21, 2022. Fleck opened his comments by mentioning Coleman's athleticism as reported by Clint Cosgrove of ProPath Management. 'You talk about a dynamic playmaker that can do things in the air that I haven't seen many people do at the wide receiver position throughout my entire coaching career. You talk about playing for the Niners, coaching for the Buccaneers, coaching all the receivers we have. He's got very rare attributes." Fleck has had success against the Huskers since becoming the head coach of the Golden Gophers, boasting a 6-1 record against the Cornhuskers, including a five-game winning streak in the series. Minnesota will host Nebraska on Friday, October 17. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.
