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Hoosiers hope to turn tradition on its head in playoff push

By Elyse Perry

Posted December 6, 2024

The final college football rankings come out on Sunday at noon, determining who the Hoosiers will play in the first round of the College Football Playoffs. (George Hale, WFIU/WTIU News)

The potential opponents for Indiana University’s football team in the first round of the College Football Playoff all share something the upstart Hoosiers do not have — a long and successful football history.

Pairings for the College Football Playoff will be announced Sunday at noon on ESPN. After finishing the regular season with an 11-1 record, IU is all but certain to be in the inaugural 12-team field.

Since early last month, the playoff selection committee has announced weekly rankings and what the bracket would look like based on those rankings.

Probable first-round opponents for IU have emerged from those rankings, and they are all traditional college football powers, with decades and decades of success.

But not having that kind of tradition is what has made this season so surprising and exhilarating for IU fans used to subpar teams.

The Hoosiers are expected to be on the road for a first-round playoff game December 20 or 21 at a campus site.

Their potential opponents, according to college football analysts — Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, or Notre Dame.

The outcome of conference championship games Friday and Saturday will impact the pairings. Oregon and Penn State will play for the Big Ten title. If Oregon wins, IU is likely to face Penn State in the first round.

If Penn State defeats Oregon — and Texas beats Georgia in the SEC title game — IU could find itself back in Columbus in a rematch at Ohio State. Last month, the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers, 38-15, giving IU its only loss.

If Penn State and Georgia both pull off upsets in their conference championships, IU could face Texas. The latest rankings have the Hoosiers going to Georgia.

It’s also possible, but unlikely, that IU will play at Notre Dame.

Head Coach Curt Cignetti will have had three weeks between last Saturday’s rout of Purdue and the first round of the College Football Playoffs.

"Next week will be very similar to a game week. It might not be exact, but we'll start preparation in earnest,” Cignetti said. “Some of these teams we know already. Some of them we don't. So next week won't be quite like a game week, but it will be similar."

IU will face skeptics about its schedule and likely a manic game-day atmosphere on the road. But if the Hoosiers can continue their run, quarterfinal games are on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.