Discipline, execution and maturity are the three qualities that make the Hoosiers a great football team. They're well-coached. They rarely make mistakes and in their second year at the top of college football, never beat themselves.

They don't do dumb stuff," Chris Fallica of Fox Sports said on social media. He notes that in addition to being the top seed in the College Football Playoff, the Cignetti's veteran team leads in several important categories:

2nd fewest Penalty YPG
Lead in TO margin - just 8 TO all season
3rd down defense - 3rd 28%
Lead in 3rd down conversions - 56%

To match them, a team has to be not only talented but play a nearly perfect game. The Hoosiers execute with precision in all three phases, and they are assassins in the fourth quarter.

Sheesh! Their average age on offense is 22.3 years old.

Offense
- Mendoza Year 4
- Hemby Year 5
- Black Year 6
- Nowakowski Year 6
- Sarratt Year 4
- Becker Year 2
- Cooper Year 4
- Evans Year 4
- Smith Year 4
- Lynch Year 4
- Michalski Year 5
- Coogan Year 5
- Benson Year 6

This is the last Covid shirt year I believe... and apparently Indiana has a lot of the few players remaining in their 5th and 6th years.

Michigan and Washington both benefited greatly from the Covid shirt in 2023 as they had rosters heavily laden with 5th and 6th years as well.

They only have 11 defensive penalties so far this year. That's pretty amazing considering the amount of defensive holding and PI calls that are made.

I just want some Offensive PI calls, Indiana in their game against us was pushing off on those 8-12 yard out patterns all game long, hard to defend when the receiver is blatantly extending their arms in order to get open.

40 minutes ago, NJDuck said:

Discipline, execution and maturity are the three qualities that make the Hoosiers a great football team. They're well-coached. They rarely make mistakes and in their second year at the top of college football, never beat themselves.

They don't do dumb stuff," Chris Fallica of Fox Sports said on social media. He notes that in addition to being the top seed in the College Football Playoff, the Cignetti's veteran team leads in several important categories:

2nd fewest Penalty YPG
Lead in TO margin - just 8 TO all season
3rd down defense - 3rd 28%
Lead in 3rd down conversions - 56%

To match them, a team has to be not only talented but play a nearly perfect game. The Hoosiers execute with precision in all three phases, and they are assassins in the fourth quarter.

Sheesh! Their average age on offense is 22.3 years old.

Offense
- Mendoza Year 4
- Hemby Year 5
- Black Year 6
- Nowakowski Year 6
- Sarratt Year 4
- Becker Year 2
- Cooper Year 4
- Evans Year 4
- Smith Year 4
- Lynch Year 4
- Michalski Year 5
- Coogan Year 5
- Benson Year 6

From The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, there is no starting player on the Indiana defense rated higher than a 3* coming out of high school or from the portal.

247 Sports Combined Roster Rankings for the Final 4 -

OBD - 5th/ Miami - Fifteenth/ Ole Miss - 21st/ Indiana - 72nd - That Indiana is odds on to win it all speaks for itself when it comes to the quality of the coaching.

OC Mike Shanahan (no relation to the 49ers Kyle) and DC Bryant Haines have been with Cignetti for nine-plus seasons. Both coordinators earned substantial pay raises. Haines's new deal pays him more than the now-unemployed Jim Knowles made last season at Penn State.

Based on what Kiffin and other new hires are being paid, Cignetti, with a contract that contains a 'fair market value' escalator clause, is in line for a million-dollar-plus increase in his base pay. I'd say Curt has received a 'pretty good' return from betting on himself as a head coach.

Curt and friends have brought Indiana football out of the sub-sub-basement with practices that are shorter than the vast majority of FBS programs.

Cliche? Yes, but Indiana's roster is packed with We and not Me football players.

To date, Indiana and Texas Tech are leading the 2026 transfer portal rankings; both have found new QBs for 2026. Indiana is bringing in quality players on both sides of the ball.

One of the many mistakes the 'experts' made in the preseason was writing Indiana off as a one-hit wonder.

BUT, HAMMER THE HOOSIERS!

26 minutes ago, spartan2785 said:

I just want some Offensive PI calls, Indiana in their game against us was pushing off on those 8-12 yard out patterns all game long, hard to defend when the receiver is blatantly extending their arms in order to get open.

What's a little hand fighting between frenemies ?

3 hours ago, spartan2785 said:

I just want some Offensive PI calls, Indiana in their game against us was pushing off on those 8-12 yard out patterns all game long, hard to defend when the receiver is blatantly extending their arms in order to get open.

I hope Coach Hampton is emphasizing with the DBs to start knocking those extended arms down every time.

5 hours ago, woundedknees said:

What's a little hand fighting between frenemies ?

Is this the same Big Ten ref crew that called the first game Vs. Indiana, or the one that called no penalties on Iowa?

I hope not.

11 hours ago, NJDuck said:

Discipline, execution and maturity are the three qualities that make the Hoosiers a great football team. They're well-coached. They rarely make mistakes and in their second year at the top of college football, never beat themselves.

They don't do dumb stuff," Chris Fallica of Fox Sports said on social media. He notes that in addition to being the top seed in the College Football Playoff, the Cignetti's veteran team leads in several important categories:

2nd fewest Penalty YPG
Lead in TO margin - just 8 TO all season
3rd down defense - 3rd 28%
Lead in 3rd down conversions - 56%

To match them, a team has to be not only talented but play a nearly perfect game. The Hoosiers execute with precision in all three phases, and they are assassins in the fourth quarter.

Sheesh! Their average age on offense is 22.3 years old.

Offense
- Mendoza Year 4
- Hemby Year 5
- Black Year 6
- Nowakowski Year 6
- Sarratt Year 4
- Becker Year 2
- Cooper Year 4
- Evans Year 4
- Smith Year 4
- Lynch Year 4
- Michalski Year 5
- Coogan Year 5
- Benson Year 6

"If you're good enough, you'd better be old enough too."

It took otherworldly play for a 2nd year player (Becker) to crack the two deep.

I do seriously wonder how good IU is going to be when they run out of JMU super seniors.

Certainly the portal is an instant way to increase experience, but there is no way this level of seniority and continuity within a system can be maintained.

This year is IUs window to win it all way more than it is anyone else's, because they won't be able to replicate this situation again.

Edited 16 hours ago16 hr by Solar

Yes, mistakes will be a big part of this game. If we keep the ball, not turn it over, we in good shape.

Evenly matched teams means the one with fewer mistakes wins.

Let's hope it's Oregon.