The Indiana Hoosiers are currently outdoing themselves in the best way possible. They ride into their second College Football Playoff game this postseason with immense momentum, having conquered the Alabama Crimson Tide 38-3 in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day to advance to the Peach Bowl opposite the Oregon Ducks this Friday.
While unpacking the greatness of the Hoosiers under coach Curt Cignetti thus far, David Pollack of "See Ball, Get Ball" perfectly described their successful launchpad.
They've arrived, whether the college football community likes it or not.
“It’s just nuts. We’re living in a world where Indiana’s running college football,” Pollack said.
"Running college football" isn't a new norm for Indiana. It's a standard. That's saying something.
“They’re the favorites to win it all," Pollack said. "If you’re watching that, they’re complete. Playing Alabama, Indiana looked way better. It didn’t matter their defense was giving up that many pounds per player."
To make matters worse, the Crimson Tide simply had no answers.
They shed blocks," Pollack said. "They get off blocks. They’re calculated. Aggressive. They show things and fool people."
Despite the praise from national pundits, Cignetti said he's zeroed in on beating the Ducks again.
“So, the second time around, we're both going to watch the tape of the first game, see what we did well, see what we didn't do well," Cignetti told reporters. "And maybe some wrinkles. Both teams will have some wrinkles, obviously, and both teams have sort of morphed since that game, because it was a while back, and you put the best plan together you can. But at the end of the day, it's which team executes the best plan. Play out.”
Ultimately, though, Cignetti said he's worried about the Hoosiers' collectiveness and not strictly based upon what the Ducks do well.
“I think the one thing that helps us with pass protection is the balance that we have on offense," Cignetti said. "We run the ball well; Oregon does too. We both average over 200 yards a game. We both run it more than 50 percent of the time, so the pressure is not on the line to be in constant pass pro mode. And then obviously, the quick throws, advantage throws, and RPOs are built in as well. So our line's been very consistent.”
The run game, factoring in, should be interesting. Perhaps, the contest will be won in the trenches.
By Friday, the college football world will have the answer as one Big Ten team will be guaranteed a spot in the national title game.