Curt Cignetti's Sideline Scowl Gets Meme Treatment With Indiana Up Big on Alabama

Cignetti’s trademark facial expression found a lot of fans during the Rose Bowl.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti’s face became a meme during the 2026 Rose Bowl. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

No one holds a sideline demeanor like Curt Cignetti.

Indiana’s head coach was wearing his trademark scowl on the sideline during the Rose Bowl, and everyone had a reaction to it. As the No. 1 Hoosiers manhandled No. 9 Alabama in the first half of their College Football Playoff quarterfinal, Cignetti refused to deviate from his resting furious face.

As the Hoosiers shoved Alabama around and established a 24-0 lead early in the third quarter, Cignetti’s scowl quickly turned into a meme. Some of the best we’ve seen are below.

Indiana not biting on Alabama’s BS and cutting immediately to Cignetti making this face is my favorite broadcast moment of the year pic.twitter.com/hpL6B8XpKE

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) January 1, 2026

Curt, teams on a bye are 0-6 so far. Are you concerned about a slow start? pic.twitter.com/Pqo3fo72c4

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) January 1, 2026

Nobody:

Curt Cignetti on the sideline: pic.twitter.com/OMpccj41Pq

— Stefan Krajisnik (@skrajisnik3) January 1, 2026

If this were on the front of a DVD and the title was just "Curt," would you assume it's a horror movie? pic.twitter.com/C6FvY1BS7B

— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) January 1, 2026

The many faces of Curt Cignetti pic.twitter.com/GZisHT5N7E

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) January 1, 2026

Indiana not biting on Alabama’s BS and cutting immediately to Cignetti making this face is my favorite broadcast moment of the year pic.twitter.com/hpL6B8XpKE

— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) January 1, 2026

Curt Cignetti anytime the camera cuts to him #iufb pic.twitter.com/BqmD64dEOZ

— Baroke Obama (@JD_Conrad24) January 1, 2026

Curt Cignetti is a man of many emotions#NeverDaunted pic.twitter.com/UEErZ5lZGf

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) January 1, 2026

Curt Cignetti has had enough of your shenanigans. 😭 pic.twitter.com/xP1r9ExxFw

— Rebecca Tucker (@RebeccaTucker85) January 1, 2026

Don’t try any of that 4th down BS on Curt Cignetti pic.twitter.com/3IQzaxiqxf

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 1, 2026

Curt Cignetti’s reaction based on what Indiana does pic.twitter.com/VweRPw23PZ

— College Football Zone (@CollegeFBonX) January 1, 2026

All jokes aside, what Cignetti has done at Indiana is nothing short of remarkable. The Hoosiers had arguably the worst football program in the country before he arrived in Bloomington on November 30, 2023. In his first year, Indiana went 11-2 and made the College Football Playoff. Their only two losses came on the road against Ohio State and Notre Dame, the two teams who played in the CFP title game.

In 2025, he has Indiana as the top-ranked team in the country, sitting at 13-0 with a Big Ten championship already in the bag. His team is closing in on 14-0 and a spot in the CFP semifinals.

The man can make any face he wants on the sideline with those results.

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