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Notre Dame football: First look at College Football Playoff opponent Indiana

On3 imageby:Todd Burlage•12/09/24•

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mikail kamara
Indiana edge rusher Mikail Kamara. (Dale Young-Imagn Images)

In what turned out to be arguably the best feel-good story in college football this season, an Indiana program that was left for dead rose from the ashes, darn near earned a berth in the Big Ten Championship Game, and reinvented a program under confident first-year head coach Curt Cignetti.  

Indiana capped its regular season with a 66-0 home win over Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game. It marked the first Bucket win for the Hoosiers in the rivalry since 2019 and their first series win in Bloomington since 2016.

The victory also gave Indiana the most wins in a season in program history, and it reached that mark in dominating fashion. The Hoosiers tallied a school record 10 wins by double digits, and they scored at least 40 points eight times, also a school record. 

Indiana finished tied for second in the Big Ten with an 8-1 record, but it lost a tiebreaker with Penn State, which kept the Hoosiers out of the conference title game.

Missing a chance to play for a league title might have been a blessing, given that it provided IU a chance to avoid a second loss and to stay comfortably in the 12-team field. Playing against one of the weakest schedules among the 12 playoff teams, questions persisted about the quality of this program. 

But the Hoosiers quieted the naysayers through great balance by finishing the regular season ranked second in scoring offense (43.3 ppg) and seventh in scoring defense (14.7 ppg).

Its rushing defense ranked first in the country (70.8 ypg). And that defensive unit also finished 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten with 23 takeaways. 

With only 8 turnovers lost, Indiana finished the regular season ranked fourth in the country in turnover margin at +1.25, and it was also third in scoring margin at +24.5. Offensively, the Hoosiers scored more than 30 points 10 times, and more than 50 points on four occasions. 

First look: No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers

  • First-round matchup: Notre Dame
  • Quarterfinal opponent: Georgia
  • 2024 record: 11-1, 8-1 Big Ten
  • Head coach: Curt Cignetti (11-1, first season)
  • All-time series vs. Notre Dame: Irish lead 23-5-1
  • Last meeting vs. Notre Dame: No. 7 Irish 49, Indiana 27 (Sept. 7, 1991, at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.)

2024 stat leaders

2024 Indiana football schedule

  • Aug. 31: FIU — W, 31-7
  • Sept. 6: Western Illinois — W, 77-3
  • Sept. 14: at UCLA — W, 42-13
  • Sept. 21: Charlotte — W, 52-14
  • Sept. 28: Maryland — W, 42-28
  • Oct. 5: at Northwestern — W, 41-24
  • Oct. 19: Nebraska — W, 56-7
  • Oct. 26: Washington — W, 31-7
  • Nov. 2: at Michigan State — W, 47-10
  • Nov. 9: Michigan — W, 20-15
  • Nov. 23: at Ohio State — L, 38-15
  • Nov. 30: Purdue —W, 66-0

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