With the last third of the college football regular season here, No. 13 Indiana serving as a feel-good story this year feels like old news.
Now, remarkably, the big question is whether the Hoosiers can play their way into the College Football Playoff.
Four games remain for Indiana (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) to achieve that improbable feat. The first game will come against Michigan State (4-4, 2-3) on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing, Mich., and the clash will serve as the annual battle for the Old Brass Spittoon.
First and foremost on the minds of the Indiana faithful is the health of starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke.
After Rourke missed last Saturday’s 31-17 win over Washington with an injured thumb, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Monday he was “optimistic” on the quarterback’s return.
“Building up,” Cignetti said. “Workload will increase as the week goes on. That’s all I’m going to say about it.”
Backup Tayven Jackson did a serviceable job against Washington, completing 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Indiana, however, knows its best chance of cracking the 12-team playoff is to have Rourke in the lineup.
Rourke enters the game fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards (1,941) and second in completion percentage (74.6).
Cignetti said his team will have to be sure to match Michigan State’s physicality.
“They’re going to smack you in the mouth,” Cignetti said. “Have a good play-action game. Also have enough little trickery there to keep you off balance so you’re not overcommitting. Very aggressive on defense.”
While Indiana is aiming for a conference title and playoff berth, Michigan State is bidding for at least two more wins to become bowl-eligible for the first time since the 2021 season.
The Spartans are coming off a 24-17 loss to arch-rival Michigan and are preparing a stretch in which they will play three of their last four games at home.
“We do have to move on to a big-time opponent,” Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith said. “One of the hottest teams in the country. Doing it in all three phases. You look at Indiana, offensively they are doing some things and can score points in bunches. Defensively, they have some good players running around and have a solid scheme. You don’t win every game by accident.”
Michigan State hasn’t been as consistent as Indiana this year, which is a reflection of the up-and-down play of first-year starting quarterback Aidan Chiles.
After throwing for seven interceptions in the first four games of the season, Chiles has been picked off only twice in the last four games.
If Chiles can continue to take care of the ball and make plays with his arm and feet, the Spartans can present problems for Indiana.
“I think we’ve gained confidence as the year has gone on,” Smith said. “We can go toe-to-toe with just about anybody. Now we want to play our best football in November.”
The road team has won four straight games in the rivalry, including Michigan State’s 24-21 win last year in Bloomington, Ind.
