Week 1 didn’t just kick off the college football season - it also peeled back the curtain on a few Indiana opponents that came out looking much less dangerous than they did in August.
That matters for the Hoosiers’ road ahead. A first weekend that exposed flaws, sloppiness, and flat-out bad results can change the way a matchup feels in a hurry. And after what happened to Rutgers, Michigan, and Washington, Indiana has reason to view those games a little differently now.
Rutgers delivered the loudest warning sign. The Scarlet Knights were expected to handle UMass with ease after paying the Minutemen $1.55 million to visit Piscataway, and they entered as a 29.5-point favorite. Instead, Greg Schiano’s team was stunned 37-21 in a result that belongs near the top of the list of ugly losses in recent memory.
The numbers were brutal. Rutgers was out-rushed 200-30 and turned the ball over four times without forcing one in return.
UMass, which has averaged just one win per season since 2019 and went 0-12 last year, walked into what should have been a soft opener and controlled the game. For Indiana, that Oct. 3 matchup with Rutgers suddenly looks like one that could go sideways fast.
Michigan also stumbled out of the gate, and not in a way that inspires much confidence. The Wolverines, who have not been back to the College Football Playoff since winning it all in 2023, were hoping a coach like Kyle Whittingham could help get them there. Instead, they spent Week 1 getting pushed around by Western Michigan.
Michigan was staring at a 12-7 loss before a miracle replay review gave it another chance, and Western Michigan was left without the kind of program-shifting win it had earned on the field. Bryce Underwood, who underperformed as a freshman last season, didn’t make much of a leap in his second year.
He looked overwhelmed against a MAC opponent, and Michigan’s schedule only gets tougher from here. If that doesn’t change quickly, Underwood could be on the bench by the time Indiana visits Ann Arbor on October 24.
Washington wasn’t nearly as dramatic, but the Huskies still came out of Week 1 with more questions than answers. Entering the year as a dark horse in the Big Ten, they were favored by 23.5 points over Washington State and still needed a late touchdown to finish off a 24-10 win.
That game should have been over sooner. Washington won the turnover battle 3-0 and out-gained the Cougars 402-242, but the offense couldn’t sustain enough drives to put the result away until late.
Against better teams, that kind of uneven performance can turn into a problem. Indiana’s trip to Seattle on November 21 still has plenty of attention around it, but Washington’s opener did nothing to make the Huskies look untouchable.
In Other News...
Trayce Jackson-Davis Revisited One Indiana Decision That Still Stings
Trayce Jackson-Davis is still comfortable with the broad outline of his Indiana career, but one choice from that stretch continues to linger: he passed on using the extra year of college eligibility created by COVID-19. After a strong senior season, he felt he had already shown enough at Indiana, and his game had evolved enough that he was ready to move on. Along the way, he also kept expanding his role, especially as a passer and ball-handler in his final season, even if coach Mike Woodson had some early reservations about that shift.
What Jackson-Davis said he wishes he had done differently was simple enough. He would have spent more time building out his three-point shot, a skill that never became part of his college package in any meaningful way. Over 126 games, he attempted only three threes, and the gap now stands out as one of the few unfinished pieces from an otherwise highly productive run in Bloomington. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Is Chasing Another Massive Receiver Win For Indiana
Curt Cignetti is still working to keep Indiana in the mix for one of the nations top young wide receivers, and Braylon Clark has given the Hoosiers a real foothold by naming them among his 12 finalist schools. The five-star prospect in the 2028 class is already lining up visits to several major programs, including Ohio State and Oregon, while Indiana is trying to get an official visit on the calendar as it continues to build out its next wave of talent.
For a program that has one commit in the 2028 class and just came off a strong 2027 recruiting haul, landing a player like Clark would be another sign that Indianas recruiting pitch is landing well beyond its traditional footprint. The Hoosiers still have plenty of work ahead with a crowded finalist list and heavyweight competition, but being in the conversation this early is exactly the kind of traction Cignetti has been trying to create. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Already Has A Freshman Depth Chart Watch To Follow
Indianas season opener against North Texas turned into an early look at the next wave of talent, with six true freshmen getting on the field in the Hoosiers 52-16 win. Defensive lineman Cam McHaney led that group with 22 snaps and picked up his first career tackle, while linebacker Jacob Savage made the biggest statistical impact among the freshmen with three tackles. Ben Novak, Sam Simpson, Henry Ohlinger and Jamar Owens also logged game action, giving the staff an opening-game glimpse at a class that is already starting to work its way into the rotation discussion.
For a team that handled its business comfortably, the freshman usage was one of the more interesting takeaways because it hints at how Indiana may start sorting out its depth over the first part of the season. McHaneys workload and Savages production stand out in particular, but the broader picture is just as notable: this was not a token appearance for one or two young players, it was a real first step for a handful of them, and that makes the depth chart behind them worth watching closely as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]