The Indiana Hoosiers are in the midst of one of sports history's greatest turnarounds under second-year coach Curt Cignetti. With a 13-0 record, plus a win against Ohio State in their back pocket in the Big Ten Championship, the Hoosiers can't go wrong as it enters a stacked College Football Playoff bracket as the No. 1 overall seed.
The Hoosiers don't know who they are going to play in the Rose Bowl New Year's Day just yet, but The Athletic's Ralph Russo sees a bumpy, brief CFP journey for the unbeaten Hoosiers.
If the Hoosiers wind-up playing the Alabama Crimson Tide should they get past the Oklahoma Sooners in the opening round, it could spell bad news for the Hoosiers.
"On the other side, it’s a lot harder to back Kalen DeBoer’s Tide than it was Nick Saban’s, but I’ll take Alabama to avenge its loss to Oklahoma in Norman and then beat Indiana in the Rose Bowl in a scenario that will make SEC supporters truly insufferable," Russo wrote.
Regardless if the Hoosiers play the Crimson Tide or not, they will have to beat a team from the SEC to advance in the postseason. Indiana does have key resume wins on its schedule, including the Oregon Ducks and Buckeyes. Unfortunately, as opposed to the Crimson Tide having a regular-season win against the SEC champion, the Hoosiers' only other ranked win may as well have a label next to it: ballooned, if you will.
A 63-10 thrashing against then-ranked No. 9 Illinois proved just how good Cignetti's team was, while Bret Bielema's Illini had to eventually claw their way to eight wins to earn a bowl berth. But it certainly started the Hoosiers' path to excellence.
Nonetheless, though, it should be an interesting run for Indiana as it tries to continue to stun the college football world with each game from here on out.