The Hodgepodge: Indiana is a Legit College Football Playoff Contender, 2024 Chaos Continues with Texas Falling to Georgia, Michigan Hapless Against Illinois

By Garrick Hodge on October 21, 2024 at 11:41 am
Indiana
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Welcome to The Hodgepodge.

The pacing of this season has already felt a bit weird. Ohio State has played six games, yet we’ve just concluded our second off week of the year. But there are no more off weeks for the rest of the regular season, so the Buckeyes must strap it down for the next six weeks.

Ohio State spotlight of the week: Left tackle (again)

It feels like cheating to spotlight the same thing two Hodgepodges in a row, but it’s still the biggest question I have about this team in the interim. With Josh Simmons likely out for the remainder of the season, what is Ohio State going to do about left tackle? Ryan Day initially answered the question last week by saying backup Zen Michalski will get the first look as a full-time starter. If things don’t work out there, Day said Tegra Tshabola and Donovan Jackson could also get looks as a tackle. The thing worth watching here is obviously how Michalski looks against Nebraska this week, and how much leeway Day and Justin Frye give him.

Indiana is officially a CFP contender

When Indiana first started piling together a few wins under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, it felt like a cute, warm and fuzzy college football story was developing in Bloomington, for however long it lasted. 

Then the Hoosiers kept winning. And winning. But alas, their schedule was softer than an Alex Grinch-led defense. Worries about how they’d fare against a step up in competition were valid. 

Indiana had its first chance to respond to those concerns against a 5-1 Nebraska team whose lone loss of the season had come in overtime against a pretty good Illinois team. 

The result? A 56-7 ass-kicking of the Cornhuskers that moved Indiana to 7-0 for the first time since 1967. 

While it’s still an incredible story and an insane turnaround, suddenly the narrative in Bloomington doesn’t have as much “little engine that could” energy. Instead, I’m declaring Indiana is a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. 

Look at Indiana’s remaining schedule: Washington, at Michigan State, Michigan, at Ohio State and vs. Purdue. The showdown in Columbus is obviously the most daunting of the five, but even that aside, you’re looking at what, 10-2 at worst? That’s enough to put you in the conversation for an at-large berth. There’s also no reason the Hoosiers can’t go at least 11-1, either. That would almost certainly put them into the playoffs.

Again. This is Indiana. The only people not happy for Cignetti’s success are Purdue fans and future first-year head coaches taking over traditionally mediocre programs because their excuses of needing time to build a winner in this era get a little more hallow with each IU win.

There was a little cold water thrown on Indiana and the Hoosier’s 56-7 win, as quarterback Kurtis Rourke suffered a thumb injury that will keep him out of at least the Washington game, though the setback isn’t supposed to be season-ending. And on the bright side, Tayven Jackson is a very capable backup and threw for two touchdowns in the win over the Cornhuskers. 

At the start of the season, who the hell thought the Indiana vs. Ohio State game could very likely be the deciding game for who opposes Oregon in the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, while the Michigan game the week after has the potential to be lackluster? Not this writer.

Georgia, Tennessee prevail, Michigan goes down

There were a lot of other interesting storylines surrounding Week 8.

  • Georgia proved there really is no truly dominant team this season by dismantling Texas 30-15. The Bulldogs forced four turnovers on the night, held the Longhorns to less than 100 yards of total offense in the first half and made Texas briefly bench Quinn Ewers for Arch Manning, who fared no better en route to a 15-point win on a night where Carson Beck threw three interceptions. The win ensured there are no undefeated teams remaining in the SEC and will set up a hell of a race down the stretch, but it also gave us another all-time Kirby Smart rant. Nick Saban may be retired, but I firmly believe there is no greater GOAT at faux “nobody believed in us” rants than Smart, whose team was a near consensus national championship favorite in the preseason (I’ll get to the alleged robbed calls stuff in a bit). 
  • Tennessee put Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes in dire straights with a 24-17 victory over the Crimson Tide in Knoxville, giving the Volunteers only their second win over Alabama in the past 18 years. I wish I had a lot to say about this game, but frankly, there wasn’t much aesthetically pleasing from this rock fight, with Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe leaving a lot to be desired. Alas, you have to give the Volunteers some credit. Considering their offense was earning the majority of the praise from national pundits early in the season, it’s been the defense that has put Tennessee in a prime position to make the CFP week in and week out. Meanwhile, things aren’t going to get any more peaceful for Kalen DeBoer in Tuscaloosa. Alabama’s next loss will ensure the Crimson Tide misses the College Football Playoff, which is not exactly the way to endear yourself to a new fanbase the first year following Saban’s retirement.
  • Both BYU and Iowa State had last-second, come-from-behind wins to salvage undefeated seasons and keep their Big 12 title hopes alive. It may be messy, but the Big 12 is never boring.
  • A fun Michigan stat for you, courtesy of the fine fellows of CBS: Michigan is one of two FBS teams, along with winless Kennesaw State (which is in its first year of being an FBS team), to throw for less than 1,000 yards and have double-digit turnovers this season. Anyway, the Wolverines are not a good football team, which was clearly evident in a 21-7 defeat to Illinois. Jack Tuttle was the third quarterback to make a start for Michigan this season and didn’t fare much better than the previous two, though he eclipsed 200 passing yards on the day, so that’s at least something, right? With games upcoming against Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State, 6-6 feels like the best-case scenario. If Michigan can’t beat Michigan State on Saturday, missing a bowl game is on the table. Imagine going from winning a national championship to praying like hell that you’ll get an invitation to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl within a year.
  • This isn’t anything new, but Florida State is bad. Like, really bad. Duke beat the Seminoles for the first time ever in 21 attempts following a 23-16 contest on Friday. If Mike Norvell didn’t just sign a 10-year extension and have a $70 million buyout, he’d probably be burnt toast at the end of this disastrous year. 
  • Following a season of offensive ineptitude, Oklahoma finally gave their fans a bit of red meat, firing offensive coordinator Seth Littrell after the Sooners’ 35-9 loss to South Carolina. The Sooners aren’t guaranteed to make a bowl game at this point, so Brent Venables might be getting a little nervous, too.
  • USC is off to a roaring start in the Big Ten, going 1-4 in conference play following a head-scratching one-point loss to Maryland on Saturday. It doesn’t feel like they’re going to dismiss Lincoln Riley or anything like that following the year, but at some point, you have to wonder what’s up here when you don’t have Alex Grinch shielding your mistakes anymore. Some cooler heads at USC will probably preach patience, but losses to Maryland and Minnesota aren’t going to settle any nerves from big donors, even if all four of the Trojans’ losses this season have been by a single possession. 
  • Just thinking out loud here, but it’s possible SMU, Miami and Clemson all finish undefeated in ACC play. Considering none of them play each other, tiebreakers for that will be fun to sort out, I’m sure.

And then there were 10

With six weeks to go in the season, we have 10 undefeated teams remaining.

Big Ten: Oregon, Indiana, Penn State

SEC: None

ACC: Pittsburgh, Miami

Big 12: BYU, Iowa State

Group of Five: Navy, Army, Liberty

Week Eight had some fun moments

  • Hell of a last-second win from BYU against Oklahoma State, which kept its undefeated season alive thanks to a clutch play from its offense (and some truly atrocious tackling from Oklahoma State). 
  • Illinois’ uniforms elicited a big “meh” from me overall, but I can’t deny the helmet was awesome. 
  • But this fake punt is awesome no matter what uniform you wear. 
  • Not a lot went right for USC on Saturday, but at least Ja'Kobi Lane made a hell of a catch.
  • Just how they drew it up, MACtion style.
  • Halfback passes are really fun when they work.
  • Didn’t expect to have two Colorado State highlights in here, but a one-handed catch leads to an 85-yard touchdown.
  • Iowa State survived against UCF in part because of plays like this.
  • Georgia’s defensive line put on a masterclass against Texas on Saturday. Plays like this are why the Longhorns had less than 100 yards of total offense in the first half. 
  • The alley-oop celebration following the victory kneel down is kind of a banger, not going to lie.

Week Eight had some whacky things too

  • The gesture from Texas fans cost the Longhorns $250,000 in fines from the SEC and eventually sent Kirby Smart into a tailspin once the refs overturned a pass interference call that briefly negated a Texas interception.
  • Regarding the overturned penalty, I think a few things can be true. One, overturning a call, at least in part to appease a hostile crowd, creates a horrible, horrible precedent for the sport. Two, at least it was the correct call, even if it took a terrible route to get there. Three, ultimately Georgia won anyway, so this won’t be as controversial as it could have been. But still, there’s already a lot of hostility between fans and CFB officials these days and stuff like this isn’t going to do anything to turn down the temperature. 
  • The Oregon Ducks may be the No. 1 team in the country right now, but the Oregon Duck was not having a good time on Friday night. 
  • I feel for this camera guy.
  • It’s been this kind of a year for Florida State.
  • On one hand, the Hoosiers are good and seeing them score was fun. On the other hand, well, Fox’s cameras kept showing hands (see what I did there??). 
  • I’ll shout it from the rooftops every week: Stop dropping the ball before crossing the goaline, kids.
  • For your viewing pleasure, some very slow mesh developing here.
  • These Alabama receivers are just taking the play off to work on their jumpers, eh?
  • You can not fake an injury any clearer than this. At least the refs saw through it.
  • Sure, the main point of the story here may be Alabama drawing a terrible, game-wrecking penalty, but my heart is with No. 55 who thinks he was a kicker in a past life.
  • It all counts as a touchdown in the box score for Auburn, but this play certainly isn’t going on Mizzou’s highlight reel.
  • Nothing has to be more humbling as a defensive back than getting up after a play, wagging your finger in a taunting manner then realizing the official ruled that you actually gave up a touchdown. 
  • Arizona State’s kicking game was so poor coach Kenny Dillingham said the Sun Devils will hold open tryouts for students on Monday and he was not joking.

Former Buckeye of the week 

Week Eight former Buckeye of the week: Cameron Martinez, DB, Boston College

Cameron Martinez had himself quite a performance for Boston College last week. Martinez recorded one interception, one fumble recovery and one sack against Virginia Tech, all of which came in the third quarter. Overall on the night, he recorded five total tackles. Unfortunately for Martinez, the strong game came in a losing effort.

Past results

  • Week Zero former Buckeye of the week: Mason Arnold, long snapper, Florida State
  • Week One former Buckeye of the week: Evan Pryor, RB, Cincinnati
  • Week Two former Buckeye of the week: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
  • Week Three former Buckeye of the week: Mookie Cooper, WR, Missouri
  • Week Four former Buckeye of the week: Julian Fleming, WR, Penn State
  • Week Five former Buckeye of the week: Noah Rogers, WR, North Carolina State
  • Week Six former Buckeye of the week: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse
  • Week Seven former Buckeye of the week: Joe Royer, tight end, Cincinnati

Games of the week

We’ve never been more back than we’ve been after nearly sweeping this weekend’s picks. We’re on a hot streak, and we don’t plan on slowing down now!

Week 8 record: 6-1

Overall record: 30-26

Appointment viewing

Illinois at Oregon, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS

Pick: Illinois +21.5

Breakdown: I feel like “Bert Ball,” which consists of long drives and clock chewing, was made to cover a 21-point spread, even if it is against college football’s No. 1 team. Oregon is the superior team and should win this contest, but Illinois even has some incentive for style points to keep it as respectable as possible, considering a 10-2 finish is very realistic.

LSU at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

Pick: Texas A&M -3

Breakdown: This is a crucial game for both schools, with the winner having a prime opportunity to set itself up for an SEC championship game appearance. Can’t say I love picking against LSU the way things have gone for the Tigers the past few weeks and especially the improvement they’ve made on defense, but I believe the Aggies will find a way to get it done at home.

Missouri at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

Pick: Mizzou +14.5

Breakdown: I don’t trust either of these teams as far as I can throw them. So when in doubt, pick the spread that allows for more screw-ups because this matchup is sure to have plenty despite it featuring a one and two-loss team. Alabama should ultimately win this contest, but can you imagine how ugly the scene would be in Tuscaloosa if the Crimson Tide were eliminated from playoff contention before October ends?

Notre Dame at Navy, noon Saturday on ABC

Pick: Navy +12.5

Breakdown: We’ve reached a pivotal moment in the Cinderella story. If Navy can defeat Notre Dame on Saturday, it has as good a chance as any at representing the Group of Five in the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame has played well over the past month or so, but Navy will be a staunch test for the Fighting Irish. Even if it doesn’t ultimately win, perhaps it can cover a double-digit spread. 

Underrated games

Boise State at UNLV, 10:30 p.m. Friday on CBS Sports Network

Pick: Boise State -2.5

Breakdown: Friday night games have delivered all season and this week we get what could be the Group of Five game of the year. UNLV and Boise State are both strong contenders for the G5 College Football Playoff spot and both feature explosive offenses. Only one features a legit Heisman Trophy candidate, though, so we’re rolling with Ashton Jeanty and the Boise State Broncos. 

Texas at Vanderbilt, 4:15 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network

Pick: Vanderbilt +18.5

Breakdown: Vanderbilt has a chance to do the funniest thing ever. Not that I’m expecting the Commodores to pull off another stunning upset twice in one season, but I think they can cover an 18-point spread at home. 

Michigan State at Michigan, 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Big Ten Network

Pick: Michigan -5.5

Breakdown: Michigan legit needs this game if it wants to be bowl-eligible this season. I still don’t know how the Wolverines are going to score, but Aidan Chiles is loose enough with the football that the Michigan defense should create enough havoc to narrowly escape with a win here.

Hot seat tracker

We’ve had our first two firings of the season so far, with Southern Miss dismissing Will Hall and East Carolina firing Mike Houston. We don’t go out of our way to include the Group of Five coaches in here until they’ve been axed because of the variance, but this section seems like an appropriate inclusion for that bit of news. 

Already fired

  • Mike Houston, East Carolina 
  • Will Hall, Southern Miss

Seat is red hot

  • Billy Napier, Florida: The Gators have looked like a different team in the past two weeks, pushing Tennessee in overtime last week and taking down Kentucky this week with the start of the DJ Lagway era. Another close contest against Georgia on Nov. 2 might make me consider moving Napier down in the hot seat list priority, but he’s got a long way to go to escape getting fired.
  • Dave Aranda, Baylor: Sure didn’t see Baylor picking up a convincing win over Texas Tech coming. Still, the Bears are 3-4 and need to do a lot more work to secure Aranda’s future.

Seat is probably a little warm

  • Mack Brown, North Carolina: Mercifully North Carolina was off last weekend. Unfortunately, the Tar Heels won’t get that same luxury this week.
  • Ryan Walters, Purdue: Breaking news, the Boilermakers still stink, as Oregon proved in a 35-0 thumping on Friday. Purdue will likely finish as the worst team in the Big Ten this season, so Walters’ future could be very much in doubt despite him only being in his second year. 
  • Mike Locksley, Maryland: The good news for Locksley is his team pulled off an upset against USC last weekend. The bad news for Locksley is his team still has its work cut out for it to make a bowl game with its remaining schedule. Getting two wins or so might be enough to get him off this list, but he remains on the list for now. 

Not officially on the hot seat yet but raising some eyebrows

  • Sherrone Moore, Michigan
  • Brent Venables, Oklahoma
  • Lincoln Riley, USC

Hodgepodge Week 8 classifiers

Undefeated conference contenders: Oregon, Indiana, Penn State, Miami, Iowa State, BYU

One loss conference contenders: Ohio State, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, Clemson, Tennessee

Big 12 fun dysfunctional family that you can’t rule out quite yet: Kansas State, Colorado, Cincinnati, Texas Tech

Disappointing former Big 12 frontrunners: Utah, Oklahoma State 

Probably have to win out to make the CFP: Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri, Notre Dame

Playoff darkhorses: Illinois, SMU, Pittsburgh, Syracuse

From national champion to wondering if they’ll be bowl eligible: Michigan

Serving our country and thriving: Army, Navy

Group of Five playoff contenders: Boise State, Liberty, UNLV and the two armed forces squads not named Air Force

Could make a nice bowl game but don’t know about much else: Arizona State, Nebraska, Iowa, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, Louisville, Duke, Washington, Wisconsin

Will have a chance to make a bowl game at least: USC, Cal, Minnesota, Michigan State, TCU, South Carolina, West Virginia, NC State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Stanford,  Kentucky, Boston College, Oklahoma, Florida, Maryland

It’s not looking great: Northwestern, Auburn, UCLA, Purdue, Wake Forest, Baylor, Houston, Mississippi State, Florida State, Kansas, North Carolina

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