In the final analysis, last week’s 38-15 loss at No.
The chaos that has enveloped the top twelve in the College Football Playoff has enabled the Hoosiers to stay within the playoff field. They dropped from number 5 to 10.
That means a win Saturday night at home in their regular-season finale against regional rival Purdue would bring another layer to Indiana’s historic season — a spot in the 12-team playoff.
And if the Buckeyes stumble at home against 6-5 Michigan, Indiana could also earn a spot in the Big Ten Conference championship game on Dec. 7 against top-ranked Oregon.
“We’re sitting in a good place but we have to take care of business,” said first-year Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.
While the Ohio State dogs made fun of Cignetti’s insults after Saturday’s game, there’s no question he’s the favorite for National Coach of the Year. A brutally run program for generations, without a scattered good season or two along the way, rose from 17th in the Big Ten’s preseason predictions to control its destiny to make the playoffs.
The two things Indiana (10-1, 7-1) wants to do at the end of the season is to fix the concerns that arose last week and not take the Boilermakers (1-10, 0-8) lightly. Indiana was seeded as a four-touchdown favorite to pound Purdue.
They would like to get their offense going again after a few weeks of struggling. Ohio State’s physical defense held them to 151 total yards, most of which came on two touchdown drives. In a 20-15 win over Michigan Nov. 9, Indiana managed 246 yards.
“We have to get back to consistency offensively and get our rhythm back where we play with a lot of confidence,” Cignetti said.
While the Hoosiers aim to return to form, the Boilermakers embrace the role of spoiler to end a forgettable season with a memorable upset. In some ways, changes are coming to the program that has regressed in the second year of coach Ryan Walters.
It is reported that Walters is safe win or lose to return for a third season.
“I’m looking forward to Saturday. That’s what I’m focused on right now,” he said. “Those are the things in front of us right now. After Saturday, I’ll be looking at the next wave of things.”
Since opening the year with a 49-0 thrashing of FCS rival Indiana State, the Boilermakers have been heavily focused. There have been close games, like last week’s 24-17 loss to Michigan State, but they have been outscored 411-130 since the start.
If Purdue is going to give itself a chance on offense, it will likely need a big game from quarterback Hudson Card (1,606 yards, 9 touchdowns). It will also need big plays from linebackers like linebacker Kydran Jenkins, who has 6.5 sacks this season and 23 in his career.
The Boilermakers are 77-42-6 in the all-time series, which awards the winner the Oaken Bucket. Purdue has won the last three matchups, including a 35-31 victory last year on Card’s 10-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left.
–Field Level Media
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