Indiana has been the biggest surprise of the College Football season.
Armed with a new coach in Curt Cignetti, coupled with a large group of transfers (many coming over with Cignetti from James Madison), the Hoosiers currently sit at 10-0 atop the Big Ten Conference.
Despite being the No. 5 team in the country, there are plenty of media pundits doubting whether Indiana is as good as its record indicates. Many of them are claiming that SEC teams with two or three losses have a more credible case for CFP inclusion.
The Hoosiers non-conference schedule wasn’t all that difficult. A large chunk of the conference’s upper crust in Oregon, Iowa, and Penn State did not appear on the regular season schedule. The Hoosiers beat a struggling Michigan team 20-15 last week at home in Bloomington.
The real test for this program? Playing on the road versus Ohio State this Saturday.
OSU has been the measuring stick for this conference over the last few decades. With all due respect to Michigan and its program’s history, Ohio State consistently has the most talented teams, as well as the ones with the best chance at being a title contender.
Indiana’s road to a perfect season has come with strong play from Kurtis Rourke. The Ohio transfer has a sparkling 21:4 TD: INT ratio on the year. He’s accurate with an above-average arm, and his collective experience from his past stop has given this team some much-appreciated maturity.
The running back room has several transfers, though much of the production stems from Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawson. The duo have combined to accrue 18 rushing touchdowns on the year. As a whole, this offense is averaging a whopping 43.9 PPG (No. 2 nationally).
Defensively, Indiana is allowing only 13.8 PPG (No. 7 nationally). It’s a unit where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Mikail Kamara and Aiden Fisher lead this defense. Fisher is the team’s best tackler. He embodies the toughness and physicality seen throughout this group. Kamara leads the team with 9.5 sacks on the year.
Collectively, you’re looking at a team in the top 10 nationally in points per game and points per game allowed. Cignetti is a virtual lock to win Coach of the Year. He’s won everywhere he’s gone, and his teams are fundamentally sound, hard-nosed, and compete as well as any.
A win here not only would propel Indiana into the Big Ten title game versus Oregon, but it would also give Ohio State a second loss — and perhaps act as a blow to the Buckeyes even making the 12-team playoff.
Either way, we can’t wait for this contest to occur on Saturday afternoon at The Horseshoe.
