In the era of the 12-team College Football Playoff, Indiana’s magical season gives everyone hope | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Just a year ago, almost at this very moment, the Indiana football team was 2-6, having lost four straight football games. Then-head coach Tom Allen tried to hang on, hoping to keep his job. Ultimately, he didn’t.

The long job of disrupting the football program was beginning to reach its painful end. The basketball season was in its infancy. A team that needed four overtimes to beat Akron earlier in the year (one of three wins in 2023) was far from competitive.

Indiana moved to 8-0 on Saturday. To celebrate the occasion, ESPN sent College GameDay caravan to Bloomington to cover one of the best stories in sports.

As expected, a hungry fan base emerged. Then the football team did the same.

The Hoosiers responded with a 31–17 victory over Washington while the team’s star player, guard Kurtis Rourke, remained sidelined with injury.

From 2-6 to 8-0, in just 365 days.

Forget the little little football story. We’re past this a long time ago.

Indiana has proven that it is a threat to win the Big Ten. And at a time when the playoffs are expanding (a decision that has been controversial for many), the Hoosiers are showing why this new postseason will add an element of excitement and intrigue the sport has never seen.

We’ll get to it. First, here’s how we got to this point.

Curt Cignetti was hired shortly after Allen was fired, and the hire was nothing more than a shakedown.

Before Indiana, Cignetti led James Madison for five seasons. During that time, JMU finished 52-9. Before that, with a brief hiatus, Cignetti was one of the key assistants at Alabama who helped Nick Saban start his dynasty.

He hired Julio Jones. He coached running back Mark Ingram. He learned from the greatest player to ever exist on the touchline. In short, Cignetti found his rhythm, first as an assistant, and then landed his first prominent job.

Since then, his football team has never lost.

With full access to the transfer portal, Cignetti landed his new QB along with other key players to rebuild a roster that needed to be rebuilt. Now, as November approaches, his team looks like a threat to make the College Football Playoff.

If this sounds strange, it should be. Indiana has won eight games once since 1993. The last time this team won nine games you ask? It was 1967.

In all likelihood, the Hoosiers will win nine games this year. Indiana finishes at Michigan State, at home against Michigan, at Ohio State and at home against Purdue to close out the year.

Forget nine wins; Indiana is playing for a conference championship or something more. With a sudden sense of control, the Hoosiers were the right team at the right time in college football.

The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released in less than two weeks. If Indiana beats the Spartans next week, it could end up in the top 10 of this first ranking.

The fact that this is a reality is a testament to Cignetti and the work he has done. It’s also a perfect example of why a 12-team postseason won’t make the regular season any less important.

When the expanded playoffs were announced, it was a natural feeling. And for truly elite teams, there is some truth to this.

Programs like Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Ohio State will certainly benefit from this expanded format. Losing one game used to be a death blow to those odds. Now a team with three losses may well make it into the game.

However, looking at the postseason solely through the eyes of the elite is a short-sighted way to evaluate the postseason or access as a whole. By expanding the playoffs, college football has significantly expanded its audience.

By expanding access, the game found a way to attract dozens of fans who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to crash a party to which it wouldn’t normally be invited.

Indiana, in one of its best seasons, is a team for which a 12-team playoff was created. No matter the size, the Georgia of the world will always be knocking on the door.

In this new era, all bets are off.

In a perfect year, Indiana has a chance. The same goes for a team like Pittsburgh, which has yet to lose a football game this year. Or BYU. Or the Army.

The list of teams and fans involved is longer than ever, although no fans are more active than in Bloomington. Even without the team’s starting QB, who will hopefully be back on the field soon, Indiana is present.

At a time when no football team looked elite, Indiana looked like a contender. And for the first time in history, the team has a real opportunity to compete with one of them.

Regardless of how this story ends, the table is already set. More will soon follow.

Forget about being just America’s Team and possibly the best story in college football. Indiana, in the midst of one of the greatest seasons it has ever known, is showing the rest of college football – the countless teams and fans who have waited decades for moments like these – what is possible.