For the first time in 63 years, the Indiana Hoosiers are playoff-bound with their massive 66-0 win against long-time rival Purdue.
This year’s choice to make Curt Cignetti the head coach has shown to be the right choice with IU going 11-1 for the first time in program history. 10 out of 11 wins had margins of 14+ points and were in the top 3 in all of college football in terms of the average points scored in a game.
The only loss came from #2 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium. With this newfound success, the Hoosiers locked down a deal with Cignetti extending into 2032 with his yearly salary going to a whopping $8 million, not including bonuses.
On December 8, the playoff committee announced the final seedings, putting Indiana at #8 in the nation. They play #5 Notre Dame in South Bend on December 20 at 8 p.m. This will be historic.
It’ll be the first time since 1991 that these two teams have faced off against each other, with the cheapest ticket going for $256 (not including fees). IU is not the only team who is having a good year.
The Irish are 11-1 with their only loss being in week 2 against Northern Illinois University. Despite their loss since then, they’ve gone on to beat Texas A&M, Louisville, and Army all of who were ranked when they played Notre Dame.
The Irish players who make this team what it is are star running back Jeremiyah Love, who has 15 touchdowns and 949 yards off 134 carries. The second piece to the offense is Riley Leonard, the quarterback. He has 2,092 yards on the year with 16 touchdowns. The offense isn’t the only piece to this great team. The defense averages holding teams to less than 14 points per game, which is the third highest in college football.
These two teams have brought shock to the college football world in many ways with IU going from 3-9 last year to 11-1 and in the playoffs for the first time in 57 years.
Notre Dame’s loss to NIU made many people give up on them early but since then they have proven to be a dominant team with winning 10 in a row after it in dominant fashion.
The winner of this game will go on to play in the Sugar Bowl, against the Georgia Bulldogs who recently became the SEC Champions in a 22-19 overtime win over Texas. The Sugar Bowl will be taking place in New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome on New years Day at 8:45 p.m. The 11-1 Indiana teams will be a guaranteed show.
Indiana schools take over final polls
