Indiana football is nearing uncharted territory.
The Hoosiers reached 9-0 with their 47-10 win at Michigan State, giving them their best start in program history. This is now the third nine-win season in program history.
But Indiana football has never won 10 games in a season. That could change this Saturday, as IU hosts Michigan (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) at Memorial Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Wolverines are looking to clinch bowl eligibility for a fourth consecutive season.
IU head coach Curt Cignetti met with local media on Monday to discuss the win in East Lansing, Mich., this week’s game, and more about the Hoosiers. Here are some of the key things he talked about.
College Football Playoff rankings coming soon
Cignetti has spent the entire season — at least in the public eye — ignoring outside noise about his team, whether positive or negative. Indiana’s spotlight has grown much brighter as its remarkable run has continued.
But with the College Football Playoff conversation growing louder, the “rat poison” becomes more difficult to block out. The CFP Committee will reveal its first set of rankings on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Cignetti has been extremely effective at keeping his players focused on the task at hand, but the CFP rankings will directly determine Indiana’s postseason fate, and this first set of rankings will provide important insight into how the committee view’s IU’s résumé thus far.
Cignetti won’t completely ignore the new rankings — and, perhaps if IU is placed in an unfavorable position, he’d start lobbying harder. But for now, he’s sticking to the plan.
“I’ll see the rankings, but the only thing that really matters is you get the result when you play, and to do that you’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing and eliminate the noise and the clutter and stay focused on what’s going to help you play your best on Saturday to give you the best chance to get the result,” Cignetti said. “Every week presents its own new set of circumstances and so there’s a lot of that going on this week. I’m aware of it. But to get kind of caught up on that and lose your focus would be the kiss of death.”
Facing Michigan
If Indiana wants to set a program record for wins in a single season, it’ll have to go through the defending national champions.
But Michigan is far removed from its undefeated 2023 team that dismantled Washington in the title game. First-year head coach Sherrone Moore lost a lot from that talented roster, and UM has felt those absences, especially on offense. The Wolverines rank 62nd in the country in rushing offense, at 165.1 rush yards per game. Their pass game has particularly struggled. UM averages 134.3 pass yards per game, putting them at 128th in the nation — seventh-worst.
Containing tight end Colston Loveland is a huge key to beating Michigan. Loveland leads UM with 49 receptions for 523 yards — the fifth-most receiving yards of any tight end in the country, and second in the Big Ten behind Penn State’s Tyler Warren.
Michigan’s second-leading receiver is nearly 400 yards behind Loveland.
“You’ve got to be aware of him, for sure, down the field and on screens, various things,” Cignetti said. “Because when you’ve got size and speed like that, you can create personnel mismatch. So he’s an excellent football player. They’ve got a lot of really good football players.”
On the other side, Michigan’s defensive front is going to pose a real challenge for IU. The Wolverines own the nation’s best pass-rush grade on Pro Football Focus, and defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale is known for utilizing high blitz rates to overwhelm opposing offenses. Indiana’s offensive line has performed well this season, turning into one of the team’s stronger position groups.
Cignetti feels his team will be prepared for whatever looks the Wolverines throw at them.
“When you put the tape on, you see a defense that’s very multiple and tries to create problems for offenses and good players that fly around, play hard. It all starts up front with them. They’re good inside and good on the edge. And they’re an aggressive defense,” Cignetti said. “We’ll have a good plan to be balanced on offense and protect the quarterback and free guys up in the pass game and hopefully good in critical situations, and then we’ve got to go out and execute it.”
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
