Curt Cignetti Responds to Barry Odom's Comments on Indiana's Schedule

Curt Cignetti didn't break out any flamethrowers when responding to comments made by Purdue coach Barry Odom regarding Indiana's nonconference schedule. Instead, the Indiana coach provided a somewhat mild responds to the criticism.

Indiana recently canceled a home-and-home series against Virginia, scheduled for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. With that change, the Hoosiers won't play a team from a Power Four conference outside of league play until a trip to Notre Dame in 2030.

Odom was somewhat critical of that approach in a recent Indianapolis radio interview. Cignetti heard about the Purdue coach's comments, but said he didn't give them much thought.

"I like Barry Odom," Cignetti said when asked the question. "Take a shot at our schedule. Did I think about it? Not much. That would be an overstatement. I didn't think much of it, but that would be an overstatement ... I saw it, it was a flicker in my brain, and it was over."

What Odom said about Indiana's schedule

Last week, Odom joined The Fan Morning Show on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis to talk about Purdue's upcoming season. When the topic of scheduling came up, Odom was asked about the Boilermakers' approach to nonconference games.

This season, Purdue will travel to South Bend to play Notre Dame. Over the next 10 seasons, the Boilers will play 12 Power Four opponents, including the Fighting Irish, outside of confernce competition.

Odom decided to take his shot at IU's scheduling philosophy then.

"I could take the approach of one of the other schools in the state and cancel games, do some of those things, but the schedule is what it is," Odom said. "We're going to try to get as good as we can get and go win those games."

Odom said that, in today's world of college football, it can be difficult to find the balance of getting teams prepared for Big Ten play while also finding games that will keep fans interested.

"How do you set yourself up for an opportunity to build confidence, get as many players as you can early playing time — there's no substitute for experience," Odom said. "So, however we can get our team built to be successful in the nonconference. If we can get those games early in the season, I think that's part of it.

"But, it's so important that you have games that your fanbase is excited about. Winning football will always get people excited. I've got to build this team, it doesn't matter who is on the schedule right now, we've got to go play winning football."

Odom's comments may not bother Cignetti much right now, but they'll surely be used as motivation in some way when the two teams hit the field at Ross-Ade Stadium on Black Friday.

What Odom said about Indiana's schedule

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