Indiana, Minnesota, and the 12-team playoff have given hope to every college football fan

One of the best stories to come out of college football so far this season has been Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers starting out their season 10-0. Up until their nail-biter against the defending national champions, Michigan, they had been decimating opponents while en route to the greatest start in school history.

They have made noise across the nation, as they are now the 5th-ranked team. Although they have left little to doubt on the field, fans bring up their strength of schedule as one of the main reasons this team has been able to accomplish this historic start. These arguments gave a strong flashback memory to Minnesota’s best season in recent memory, the 2019 season. Let’s take a semi-deep dive into both seasons and look at why Indiana is more than deserving of the respect that they have earned. 

The Golden Gophers 2019 football season was the best in recent memory and, so far, has been the peak of the P.J. Fleck era. Minnesota began the year with three narrow victories over inferior non-conference opponents, but eventually found a groove in their first 5 conference games. This 8-0 start was convincing, but left fans skeptical, as the strength of their opponents was brought into question. That was until the 17th-ranked Gophers invited 4th-ranked Penn State to Minneapolis. As every Gopher fan knows, they were able to complete the upset of the Nittany Lions and continue their perfect season, while simultaneously silencing the doubters. Minnesota eventually went on to finish the season as the 10th-ranked team in the nation. At the time, this strong of a season from a normally “middle of the pack” BIG10 team was a huge surprise as it was extremely difficult to not slip up against even bottom-tier teams in the power conference. 

Much like Minnesota in 2019, the Indiana Hoosiers are perfect through their first 10 games and finally have the late-season opportunity to prove their strength against a “blue blood” opponent. They will be playing The Ohio State Buckeyes this upcoming Saturday, their first test against a ranked opponent. The Hoosiers are the talk of college football, with people going back and forth on if they are truly deserving of being ranked 5th and currently “in” the playoffs, due to their strength of schedule. The stories were all the same for Minnesota, because on paper the prospects are lower-rated, the coaching is step below, and the money is favored to the bigger school. Well the truth about college football is that all of those things are completely thrown out the window as soon as the players step on the field. Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers have every right to be ranked right where they are at, as they can only play the teams they are matched up against, and not misstepping even once so far needs to be rewarded. This Saturday’s matchup has all of the makings of a game that could look very similar to the upset victory in 2019. As the teams who play with nothing to lose and with the odds stacked against them are usually the ones who are able to defy the odds. 

The Indiana Hoosiers will have every “middle of the pack” fan cheering for them, as the parity that the new playoffs brings gives a new sense of hope to each season. Any team any season could get the bounces and make the difference-making plays that keep a season perfect and allow them the chance to play in a playoff game. The reality is that schools like Minnesota and Indiana will not become blue bloods who are consistently in the playoffs. Although every couple of years a “flash in the pan” type of season occurs, where everything falls into place for a team.  Much like Minnesota in 2019 and much like Indiana this season. These types of seasons for these types of teams are what makes college football so special. They are what keep alumni bundling up to tailgate in the bitter cold every Saturday. They are why people and businesses donate hard earned money to NIL collectives. They are what makes a young kid fall in love with a team and become a fan for life. So, from one “middle of the pack” fan to another, Go Hoosiers.