No. 8 Indiana hopes to keep perfect record and playoff hopes intact against Michigan
Indiana tight end Zach Horton, left, scores on a pass reception as Indiana running back Justice Ellison (6) looks on during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in East Lansing, Mich. Credit: AP/Al Goldis
Carter Smith and C.J. West aren't interested in any history lessons about Indiana football.
Sure, they understand why everyone around Bloomington is so excited as the No. 8 Hoosiers take the field — even with basketball ramping up.
They're 9-0 for the first time in school history and one win away from producing the program's first 10-win season. Yes, at 6-0 in conference play, they share the Big Ten lead with No. 1 Oregon. They're even in position to make the expanded 12-team playoff, a position that seemed unthinkable even as first-year coach Curt Cignetti touted his past successes as an indication of what was possible in 2024.
And now they're preparing to host Michigan, a team that has made life miserable for Indiana for more than a century. Yet Smith and West are unfazed by what's happening around them.
"There’s nothing (different), we prepare the same we do every week, every single week,” West, a defensive lineman, said after the first set of CFP rankings had Indiana listed No. 8. “This is the biggest game because it’s the next game, and that’s how it is every week.”
But that hasn't always been the case at Indiana, especially when Michigan (5-4, 3-3) is in town.
The Wolverines have won 27 of the last 28 games in this series with their only stumble coming courtesy of a 17-point loss in front of a tiny crowd during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. Since then, the series has reverted to its more customary fashion with the Wolverines winning the last three by a combined score of 112-24, including 52-7 as the Wolverines were rolling toward last season's national championship run.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, right, watches his team play against Oregon in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. Oregon defeated Michigan 38-17. Credit: AP/Jose Juarez
Now, though, the tables may be turned.
While the Hoosiers are ranked, Michigan is not. Indiana also has the nation's second-highest scoring offense (46.6 points per game) and third-stingiest defense (261.0 yards), while the Wolverines have relied heavily on a strong defense to carry a team that ranks 116th in scoring (21.0 points).
Plus, the Hoosiers will be playing in front of its third straight sellout crowd at home and will again will have a major network, CBS, in town to document college football's most surprising team.
“Keep the standard, it never changes,” said Smith, an offensive lineman. “Every single week, we have to get better with each and every practice, stack those days and little by little, it gets a bit easier.”
Indiana running back Ty Son Lawton, center, runs for a touchdown against Michigan State linebacker Cal Haladay (27) and defensive lineman Anthony Jones, right, as Indiana offensive lineman Carter Smith, second from right, blocks during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in East Lansing, Mich. Credit: AP/Al Goldis
The question now is: Will that philosophy work against the Wolverines?
Cignetti, who has never had a losing season in 14 years as a head coach and spent four years as Nick Saban's recruiting coordinator at Alabama, has no doubt. He believes his track record and that of his late, Hall of Fame coaching father proves it.
“The only thing that really matters is you get the result when you play, and to do that you’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing and eliminate the noise and the clutter,” Cignetti said. “Every week presents its own new set of circumstances and so there’s a lot of that going on this week. I’m aware of it. But to get kind of caught up on that and lose your focus would be the kiss of death.”
Tip of the cap
Indiana’s turnaround certainly has impressed Michigan coach Sherrone Moore.
Cignetti already has six more wins than Indiana had last season — with three to play. He’s also matched Indiana’s victory total from the previous three seasons combined. In fact, the Hoosiers are just three wins away from tying their victory total since last beating the Wolverines.
“He’s done an unbelievable job,” Moore said. “They did a really good job of bringing in the right guy.”
Low stakes
Last season, the Wolverines completed a perfect season. Now they're just trying to become bowl eligible after losing three of their last four. College football's winningest program already has lost more games this season than it did in the last three seasons combined.
Moore has made it clear Michigan wants that sixth win.
"We've got to get it,” the first-year coach said. “The record is not where we want to be, but I love watching the fight. In the second half of that (Oregon) game, a lot of teams would’ve laid down.”
High road
Moore defended offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell, who called a trick play on fourth-and-5 from the Oregon 10 with Michigan in position to pull within a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Receiver Semaj Morgan didn't come close to completing the pass to backup quarterback Alex Orji and the Wolverines went on to lose 38-17.
“We’ve got to be better as a whole group," Moore said. "It’s not just him.”
