Author: Mike Schumann

Curt Cignetti didn’t like it when Don Fischer introduced IU football’s next game — Nov. 23 at Ohio State — as “arguably the biggest game in IU gridiron history” on their radio show Thursday evening. The first year head coach threw up his hands in playful disapproval of that characterization. When Cignetti was introduced on the show, he teased Fischer about his description of the game. “I’ve got to take some exception here,” Cignetti said.  “‘The biggest game in IU football history?’  You’re such a media guy.  It’s a big game because it’s the next game.  It’s the only game…

Indiana has for the most part avoided injuries this season. But the Hoosiers have had a small run of setbacks over the last week beginning with the season ending injury to starting guard Drew Evans.  He was the second interior offensive lineman the Hoosiers lost for the season after Nick Kidwell was injured during fall camp. On his Thursday evening radio show, IU coach Curt Cignetti said Evans was injured during a sled drill at practice in the days leading up to the Michigan game.  He suffered an Achilles injury. Filling in for Evans on Saturday against Michigan was veteran…

The biggest outside complaint regarding Indiana’s College Football Playoff resume is their strength of schedule, which is currently No. 100 according to ESPN’s FPI. One opponent on Indiana’s 2024 schedule is head and shoulders above the rest, and they are the next team the Hoosiers will face. So what happens if the Hoosiers happen to fall flat at Ohio State next week and get blown out? At least in some circles, current CFP No. 5 IU would be met with a big ‘ole dose of “I told you so” in that scenario. ESPN’s Rece Davis joined “The Pat McAfee Show”…

Curt Cignetti has said regularly since he was hired that Indiana’s clear financial commitment to football was a major factor in his decision to accept the head coaching position in Bloomington. A year into his tenure and at least 10 wins later, Indiana’s ability to financially support football at an elite level is set to be tested again. A near lock for the national coach of the year, Cignetti is the hottest name on the coaching carousel, both at the college level and even the NFL. It goes without saying Cignetti is a wanted man, and it seems rather obvious…

Curt Cignetti and his staff have kept one of the top in-state players in the class of 2025 home. Indianapolis based edge rusher Tyrone Burrus has flipped his verbal commitment from Louisville to Indiana, several national outlets announced on Thursday morning.  Burrus made several trips to Bloomington over the last couple months, signaling the flip may happen. “It’s special,” Burrus told On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “I’ve been messing with IU for a while now and I’m glad I could make it home. It was (DE) Coach Buddha (Williams) and (DT) Pat (Kuntz), they both give me the same feeling I have…

Teri Moren has her hands full with this team. After a second half collapse, Indiana lost at Butler on Wednesday evening at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, their second straight loss to a team they were heavily favored to beat. Leading 28-26 at the break, the Hoosiers scored just 18 points in the second half while shooting 29.6% from the field with seven turnovers.  They didn’t attempt a free throw in the second half. Moren’s squad played good defense throughout, but the lack of any semblance of offensive efficiency eventually caught up with them. Butler pulled away in the final minutes…

How many good teams would be 10-0 playing Indiana’s schedule this year? Not many. That’s what “strength of record” (SOR) measures, and it is playing a role in Indiana’s current No. 5 status in the latest College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday evening by the CFP Committee. Indiana’s SOR according to ESPN’s FPI is No. 6.  FPI describes SOR as “reflecting chance that an average Top 25 team would have team’s record or better, given the schedule.”  In words, SOR measures the difficulty of achieving each team’s record, given its schedule. The logic of SOR is sound.  Indiana’s strength of…

The College Football Playoff Committee released their second edition of the CFP Rankings on Tuesday evening live on ESPN. The Committee ranked 10-0 Indiana No. 5, and have them playing in the CFP bracket as the No. 7 seed. Two projected conference champions — Miami and BYU — are ranked lower than IU but each claim one of the top four spots in the bracket.  That bumps No. 5 ranked IU to the No. 7 seed in the bracket. The Hoosiers moved up three spots in the CFP rankings after their 20-15 win over Michigan. The current CFP bracket has…

The Maxwell Football Club announced a pair of Indiana football players as semifinalists for national awards on Tuesday. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke and edge rusher Mikail Kamara were tabbed for the 88th Maxwell Award and 30th Chuck Bednarik Award, respectively. Rourke was also named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award. The lists include a field of 16 candidates for the Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award, and 20 candidates for the Bednarik Award. Indiana is one of just six programs to have an offensive and defensive player of the year semifinalist from the Maxwell Football Club. On Monday, Kamara was…

After a weekend visit to Bloomington, Indiana has offered class of 2027 point guard Jaxon Davis. He is just the fourth player Indiana has offered in the high school sophomore class. Davis visited Indiana over the weekend for the Eastern Illinois game, and he also was in Bloomington for the program’s team camp in June. As a freshman, he led Warren Township H.S. (Gurnee, Ill.) to a 31-5 record.  Davis averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.5 steals in 2023-24. For spring and summer basketball, Davis played for the MeanStreets program on the Nike EYBL Circuit. Davis does…