Indiana’s climb has become impossible to ignore, and the latest AP Top 25 made that clear again. The Hoosiers moved up to No. 5 on Sunday, giving Curt Cignetti’s team a first-place vote and a place in the sport’s brightest spotlight heading into a massive showdown with Ohio State.
That rise comes on the back of Indiana’s 20-17 road win at Nebraska, a comeback that pushed the Hoosiers to 6-0 and stretched their winning streak to 22 games. Down by 11 in the fourth quarter in Lincoln, Indiana found its answer through Josh Hoover and Nick Marsh, who hooked up for two touchdown passes to flip the game. Stephen Daley and the pass rush then helped close the door, with the defense coming up with key stops on fourth down to finish the turnaround.
Now the challenge gets even bigger. Indiana will host No.
4 Ohio State at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Saturday, October 17, with kickoff set for noon Eastern. It is a top-five matchup with real weight in the Big Ten and in the wider race for a College Football Playoff top seed.
Ohio State comes in after beating Maryland 45-16, and the Buckeyes arrive in Bloomington trying to assert themselves in a crowded conference race. Indiana, meanwhile, will try to keep its perfect record intact against a roster loaded with talent. If the Hoosiers can tighten up third down and get steadier run blocking, they have a real shot to keep this historic run rolling.
The AP rankings also underscore how crowded the Big Ten has become at the top. Five other conference teams are in this week’s poll, with Ohio State at No. 4, UCLA up to No. 12 after beating Oregon 17-15, Iowa rising to No. 17 after a win over Washington, USC holding at No. 19, and Northwestern coming in at No. 25 after a decisive victory over Ball State.
For Indiana, the next step is simple to say and hard to pull off: protect the unbeaten start, defend Memorial Stadium, and prove the Nebraska comeback was not a one-off. With both teams inside the top five, Saturday in Bloomington carries the kind of stakes that can reshape the national picture in a hurry.
In Other News...
Indiana's Ohio State Showdown Just Got An Extra Reason To Sting
Week 7 already had the look of a national stage for Indiana and Ohio State, with two top-ranked teams meeting in one of the seasons most anticipated games. The matchup carries the kind of weight that comes with recent national champions and a setting that has the feel of a crossover event, the sort of afternoon that usually draws every spotlight available.
Instead, ESPNs College GameDay is headed to Provo for Notre Dame-BYU, leaving Memorial Stadium without the pregame showcase many expected. For Indiana, it adds a little extra sting to a game that did not need much help building tension, because the Hoosiers still get the Buckeyes and all the stakes that come with them, just without the added pageantry that often signals college footballs biggest stage. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Saw One Indiana Problem That Nearly Cost Them
Indiana escaped Lincoln with a 20-17 win over Nebraska to stay unbeaten at 6-0, but the victory was far from tidy. Curt Cignetti had plenty to point to after the game, from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to the kind of response his team needed in a tight road test, and he made sure to credit the resilience it took to turn the night around.
Still, the coach was quick to note one area that nearly got away from Indiana: the rushing attack. With the offense leaning on key plays like Josh Hoovers touchdown pass to help steady things, Cignetti said the staff would go back and evaluate how the group performed, a reminder that even a perfect record can hide problems that need fixing fast. [Read more 🡒]
Curt Cignetti Gave Hoosiers Fans A Brutal New Debate Against Nebraska
Indiana spent much of the afternoon trying to get out of its own way against unranked Nebraska, and the offensive sluggishness quickly turned into a broader conversation about Curt Cignettis approach. The Hoosiers managed only six points until early in the fourth quarter, and the first-half numbers on that side of the ball stood out for all the wrong reasons, ranking among the roughest stretches of Cignettis time in Bloomington.
Even with the offense fighting uphill, Indianas defense kept the game within reach by holding Nebraska to 10 points through three quarters. That left the Hoosiers in position to flip the script late, and they did move ahead midway through the fourth quarter, but the uneven performance had already given fans plenty to debate about the coachs decisions long before the finish. [Read more 🡒]