Indiana Hoosiers head coach and defending national champion Curt Cignetti has fired a direct shot at the SEC during Big 10 Media Days this week in Chicago.

Coming off an offseason that has been dominated by talk of which conference reigns supreme coming off three straight national titles for the Big 10, Cignetti was asked about the grind of the Big 10 schedule preparing his team for the College Football Playoff, and he did not hold back in his answer.

“We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest… when we fall short we don’t cry a river and whine and complain. And that’s why we’re the best”

Curt Cignetti ended his first media day as a national champion with some shots fired at the SEC pic.twitter.com/zK5WTwFX5a

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“The Big 10 is the best league in football. A lot of really good football teams, it’s hard to win on the road, very physical football teams, well coached, it definitely prepares you for the playoffs, there’s no doubt about it the numbers speak for themselves,” Cignetti began before turning his focus directly to the rival conference.

“We don’t run a hype machine up here in the Midwest,” he said. “We believe everything is earned not given. And when we fall short, we say ‘We fell short.’ We don’t cry a river and whine and complain. And that’s why we’re the best.”

While the SEC is unquestionably a deeper league with a more intense week to week grind, Cignetti’s point is tough to argue with after what his team just accomplished, something that included a dismantling of Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

It’s a huge year for both conferences, and the pressure is on the SEC to bring a national title back to the South.