In the final analysis, last week’s 38-15 loss at No. 2 Ohio State was no death knell at all for Indiana.
The chaos that enveloped last week’s top 12 in the College Football Playoff enabled the Hoosiers to stay inside the playoff field. They dropped from No. 5 to 10th.
That means a win Saturday night at home in their regular-season finale with in-state rival Purdue would bring another layer to Indiana’s historic season — a spot in the 12-team playoff.
And should the Buckeyes stumble at home in their rivalry game against 6-5 Michigan, Indiana could also earn a spot in the Big Ten Conference championship game Dec. 7 against top-ranked Oregon.
“We’re sitting in a good spot but we’ve got to take care of business,” said first-year Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.
While the overdogs from Ohio State poked fun at Cignetti’s brashness after Saturday’s game, there’s no question he’s the odds-on favorite for national Coach of the Year. A program that’s run pretty brutal for generations, aside from a scattered good season or two along the way, has risen from 17th place in preseason Big Ten predictions to controlling its destiny to get into the playoff.
The two things Indiana (10-1, 7-1) wants to do in the season finale are fix concerns that ropped up last week and not take the Boilermakers (1-10, 0-8) for granted. Indiana was installed as a four-touchdown favorite to pound Purdue.
They’d like to get their offense going again after a couple of weeks where they’ve struggled. Ohio State’s physical defense limited them to 151 total yards, most of those coming on two touchdown drives. In a 20-15 win over Michigan Nov. 9, Indiana managed just 246 yards of offense.
“We’ve got to get back in sync offensively and get our rhythm back where we’re playing with a lot of confidence,” Cignetti said.
While the Hoosiers aim to return to form, the Boilermakers embrace the role of spoiler to end a forgettable season with a memorable upset. One way or the other, changes are coming to a program that’s gone backwards in coach Ryan Walters’ second year.
Walters is reportedly safe win or lose to return for a third season.
“I’m looking forward to Saturday. That is what I am focused on right now,” he said. “Those are the things that are right in front of us right now. After Saturday, I’ll look forward to the next wave of things.”
Since opening the year with a 49-0 blanking of FCS opponent Indiana State, the Boilermakers have been mostly pummeled. There have been close games, like last week’s 24-17 setback at Michigan State, but they have been outscored 411-130 since the opener.
If Purdue is to give itself a chance at the upset, it will probably need a big game from quarterback Hudson Card (1,606 yards, 9 touchdowns). It will also need some big plays from defenders like linebacker Kydran Jenkins, who has 6.5 sacks this season and 23 in his career.
The Boilermakers own a 77-42-6 lead in the all-time series, which awards the winner the Old Oaken Bucket. Purdue has won the last three matchups, including a 35-31 victory last year on Card’s 10-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left.
