The Hodgepodge: Indiana is a Great CFB Storyline but Ohio State Hopes to Smash Its Glass Slipper, Kirby Smart Uses Georgia's Win to Belittle CFP Committee

By Garrick Hodge on November 18, 2024 at 12:31 pm
Indiana fans
Trevor Ruszkowski – Imagn Images
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Welcome to The Hodgepodge.

The Wrigley Field game was fun. Nobody got hurt running into the brick walls, Ohio State recovered from a slow start and eventually won convincingly and the team got to be a part of something slightly memorable from an otherwise forgettable contest. 

Anyway, that’s enough about that. 

The Buckeyes are playing their third matchup of the season this week where both teams are ranked within the top five, while Indiana is playing a top-five matchup for the first time ever in program history. Hell of a stat. 

Ahead of the matchup, Indiana made Curt Cignetti a rich man with a lofty eight-year contract extension that will pay him $8 million annually. Cignetti has always been a quote machine and quipped that Indiana is an emerging superpower in college football, so he’d have no desire to leave Bloomington. 

Frankly, while it’s not impossible the extension eventually blows up in Indiana’s face Mel Tucker style (though hopefully not off the field too), Cignetti has earned every dollar of it. If someone asked you to rank Big Ten teams one through 18 in terms of the easiest places to make the postseason factoring in program prestige/history, recruiting pipeline and available resources, how would you rank them? 

For me, it’s probably between Purdue and Northwestern for last place. Following that, I think you could successfully argue either Rutgers or Indiana for 16th place. Both programs’ histories are pretty bleak, and I’d give Rutgers the edge in recruiting pipeline, so I’m anointing Indiana as the 16th-hardest school to win at in the Big Ten. 

The point being, what Cignetti has done with the Hoosiers has been nothing short of remarkable. Sure, their schedule has been softer than an Alex Grinch defense. But outside of Michigan, the Hoosiers have flattened every opponent laid out in front of them. Cignetti inherited a three-win football team and gave Indiana its first 10-win season ever in program history. For the first time ever, the Hoosiers have a prayer of reaching the College Football Playoff. It’s arguably the best story the entire sport has going for it depending on how you feel about certain Big 12 teams, SMU or Army.

And yet, Ohio State is hoping the clock strikes midnight (which is honestly a more preferable kickoff time than noon for fans at this rate) on this Cinderella Indiana season. The Buckeyes have their own aspirations of winning a Big Ten championship. The Hoosiers are standing in their way of that goal, so they won’t hesitate to smash the glass slipper with authority if needed. 

We mentioned how quotable Cignetti is. Remember one of his first public appearances as Indiana’s head coach at Assembly Hall last December? 

Taking center court, Cignetti declared he was “super fired up” about the opportunity and had “never taken a backseat to anybody” and didn’t plan on starting now. Eleven Warriors fact-checkers have confirmed that was correct. 

Cignetti followed that up by declaring “Purdue sucks!” 

Holy hell, was that true. 

“So does Michigan…” Again, wow, no lies detected, “... and Ohio State.” 

OK, if we’re all being honest, it’s hard to remember too many OSU fans who were offended by Cignetti’s remarks at the time. If anything, I loved a guy spitballing random nonsense to try and reinvigorate a dead program’s fanbase. It was hilarious, fun and bold.

Well, no one on Ohio State’s side is laughing now. Cignetti has already backed up his claim about Michigan. He’ll almost certainly be justified about his take and then some about Purdue in two weeks. It remains to be seen if he’ll get the last laugh against the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is around a 10 to 12-point favorite depending on the sportsbook. Not to give away a certain pick later, but that seems about right. Indiana better pray the game is respectable on Saturday or it will be in danger of being on the outside looking in of a 12-team playoff despite finishing 11-1.

Either way, we’re in for a wild one on Saturday and I’m here for all the narratives that come from it.

Ohio State spotlight of the week: Defensive backs

Honestly, this could also double as a “how the refs call this game” section. Whenever you watch Indiana this season, it's hard not to notice the Hoosiers are in love with throwing back-shoulder fades. It’s a huge part of their offense. That puts a lot of emphasis on clean play from Ohio State’s defensive backs. The Buckeyes’ secondary has a reputation for being extremely physical in coverage, so just how liberal the zebras are with the flags could be a big factor in how this game goes.

If Indiana draws a few defensive holdings or pass interferences, it will keep drives extended and the Hoosiers in the game. If officials let the guys play, it could be a long day for Indiana’s offense.

Georgia beats Tennessee, Kirby Smart belittles CFP Committee

The Southeastern Conference continued to cannibalize itself on Saturday. With its back against the wall, Georgia rebounded from a lopsided loss to Ole Miss, taking down Tennessee 31-17 in a must-win game. 

Turnovers have been the bane of Georgia’s existence in the past few weeks, but the Bulldogs and quarterback Carson Beck played clean football Saturday with zero giveaways. Georgia also outgained the Volunteers 453 to 319 and averaged 6.4 yards per play. 

Following the game, you’d expect Kirby Smart to laud his team for resilience and prop up his team’s quality wins this season, blah blah blah. Instead, Smart was asked a question about the College Football Playoff committee, which led Georgia’s coach into going on a woe is me, nobody believes in us style rant.

“I don't know what they're looking for," Smart said of the committee postgame. “I really don't. I wish they could really define their criteria. I wish they could do the eyeball test where they come down here and look at the people we're playing against and look at them. You can't see that stuff on TV...

“... The (committee) isn’t at Ole Miss in that environment, playing against that defense, which is top five in the country with one of the best pass rushers in the country, and they're fired up. They’ve got a two-score lead, and they're coming every play. They don't know. They don't understand that.”

Alright, well, I’m guessing this was motivated by the CFP committee DARING to leave Georgia out of the 12-team field in its weekly rankings last week. But it all seems like faux outrage considering Smart knew damn well the Bulldogs would be safely in the postseason if they defeated the Volunteers. Don’t worry, Greg Sankey is smiling and nodding in the background and very much approves of your loyalty to the almighty SEC, Kirby. 

That isn’t to say there isn’t going to be a jumbled mess for the committee to sort out regarding the SEC. I just don’t know why it’s Kirby’s problem. The Bulldogs will now be in the field unquestionably barring a complete collapse against Georgia Tech or UMass.

As of now, six SEC teams have two or fewer losses: Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and Ole Miss. Of those six, Alabama, Ole Miss and Georgia are a good bet to win out. Tennessee should be fine, but don’t underestimate a road game at Vanderbilt. Texas and Texas A&M play each other in the final game of the regular season that very well could be a loser-out game, as crazy as that sounds for the Longhorns. 

That’s all to say, barring any unforeseen chaos, you’re looking at the final at-large spot in the CFP coming down to, say, 10-2 Tennessee or 11-1 Indiana. No matter which one you go with, people are going to be pissed. 

Good luck, committee. Now you understand why the score disparity of the game on Saturday matters so much for the Hoosiers.

Week 12 also had some other notable storylines

  • Luke Fickell and Wisconsin gave Oregon all it could handle for 60 minutes, but the Ducks escaped with a three-point win because the Badgers had no semblance of a competent offense at all. Following the game, Fickell fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo, which has been a long time coming. Fickell will have immense pressure to get the next coordinator hire right, as he’ll enter Year Three at Wisconsin with the Badger faithful not exactly feeling cheery about his presence in Madison.
  • Trailing by three points with less than 90 seconds remaining, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik somehow rushed for a 50-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a victory over Pittsburgh and keep their slim CFP hopes alive. 
  • Texas played with its food against five-loss Arkansas and kept it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter but eventually rebounded to win by 10 points.
  • LSU had a path to weasel its way into the SEC championship due to wacky conference tiebreakers, but thankfully Florida prevented that with a healthy DJ Lagway and a 27-16 win over the Tigers.
  • Penn State dismantled Purdue, 49-10. I’ll say it again, the Boilermakers are terrible. They stink! 
  • Stop me if you heard this before, but Nebraska lost a one-score game. In the “somebody had to win it” bowl, USC took down the Cornhuskers 28-20. Poor Nebraska really might not make a bowl game despite starting 5-1.
  • Colorado continued to look like the highest-ceiling team in the Big 12, throttling Utah 49-24. If the Buffs win their last two games, they’ll be in the Big 12 title game with a chance to go to the College Football Playoff. 
  • Kansas continued to play spoiler in the Big 12 for the second straight week, taking down previously undefeated BYU. In a one-score game, a pooch punt that bounced off a BYU player’s head and set up an easy touchdown for the Jayhawks made all the difference.
  • Arizona State continued its dream underdog season with a 24-14 win over Kansas State. With only two losses in Big 12 play, the Sun Devils have a massive matchup looming with BYU this weekend with conference championship stakes on the line. 

And then there were three

With two weeks left in the season, we have three undefeated teams remaining: Oregon, Indiana and Army. What a world, folks.

Week 12 had some fun moments

  • I don’t know what possesses BYU mascot Cosmo Cougar to think “what if I did a backflip blindfolded over a golf cart” but I love it.
  • Flea-flicker touchdowns look so much cooler when they’re thrown by a lefty.
  • Always gotta love it when a running back leaps over linemen in the end zone to score a touchdown.
  • Shortly after allowing a go-ahead touchdown to Missouri in the final two minutes of the game, South Carolina responded with a game-winning score with 15 seconds remaining.
  • I’ve heard of many different team celebrations following a turnover, but can’t say I’ve heard of a “turnover skull” before.
  • Man, this Georgia punter actually knows how to tackle.
  • Sadly this was eventually overturned and ruled to be an incomplete pass, but it was hilarious seeing a “fumble” bounce 20 yards forward.
  • Travis Hunter may really win the Heisman Trophy.
  • Louisville’s cornerback literally stole the ball away from Stanford’s wide receiver on this play.
  • Who doesn’t love an ’ol Philly Special for a game-tying two-point conversion with 34 seconds remaining? 

Week 12 had some wacky things, too

  • The perfect encapsulation of Purdue’s season right here.
  • Arkansas had an eight-yard punt on Saturday.
  • The friendly confines of Wrigley Field were not so kind to the Wildcats.
  • Didn’t realize this until after the game, but television viewers had a “beautiful” view of Carnell Tate’s first touchdown catch.
  • UMass had a chance to walk off with a win against Liberty with a 43-yard field goal attempt as time expired, but alas, college kickers.
  • I present to you, the epic double fumble from LSU.
  • For the sake of his players, I hope Syracuse keeps winning so Fran Brown will take showers. 
  • Please stand by as we address technical difficulties during this BYU and Kansas game.
  • Louisville had an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the second to last play of regulation that put Stanford in field goal range and eventually lost the Cardinals the game.
  • Just the way Boise State’s defense drew it up.
  • Seems like Carson Beck got away with justtttt a bit of a false start here.

Former Buckeye of the week 

Week 12 former Buckeye of the week: Parker Lewis, K, Arizona State

Lewis connected on a 47-yard field goal and made all three extra points in the Sun Devils’ 24-14 victory over Kansas State on Saturday. Kickers are people too!

Past results

Week Zero former Buckeye of the week: Mason Arnold, LS, 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, TE, Cincinnati
Week Eight former Buckeye of the week: Cameron Martinez, DB, Boston College
Week Nine former Buckeye of the week: Bryson Shaw, S, USC
Week 10 former Buckeye of the week: Enokk Vimahi, RG, Washington
Week 11 former Buckeye of the week: Reid Carrico, LB, West Virginia

Games of the week

We’re nearing the end of the season, so barring a complete disaster, I should be able to at least finish the year with an above .500 record of picking games. 

Week 12 record: 4-3
Overall record: 45-39

Appointment viewing

Indiana at Ohio State, noon Saturday on FOX

Pick: Ohio State -10.5

Breakdown: I’ll probably regret this because I think the Hoosiers can give the Buckeyes a competitive game in Columbus. But still, five days out, I’m predicting somewhere around a 14-point win for Ohio State.

BYU at Arizona State, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN

Pick: ASU -3.5

Breakdown: Arizona State is scrappy and on fire as of late. This just feels like a hell of a vibes pick considering how chaotic the Big 12 is this season.

Army at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. Saturday on NBC

Pick: Notre Dame -16.5

Breakdown: I’m sorry, Army. I really am. I want the dream to continue, too. But Notre Dame has been playing too well not to take the Fighting Irish and the points. Plus, Notre Dame has seen the triple option many times over the years and once already this season, so it’s not like it’ll be thrown off by the wackiness of Army’s offense. 

Penn State at Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS

Pick: Minnesota +12.5

Breakdown: This might be Penn State’s last chance to be tripped up this season before the College Football Playoffs start. I don’t think PSU is going to lose this game outright, but something tells me Minnesota can make the Nittany Lions sweat on the road.

Underrated games

Colorado at Kansas, 3:30 p.m. Saturday on FOX

Pick: Colorado -2.5

Breakdown: Kansas has played Big 12 spoiler two weeks in a row and is looking to make it three. But with the roll Deion Sanders’ boys are on, I can’t bring myself to pick against the Buffs.

Ole Miss at Florida, noon Saturday on ABC

Pick: Ole Miss -9.5

Breakdown: Florida is the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde SEC team this year. Ole Miss could be set up for disaster considering it lost to LSU and Kentucky this season and has to travel to the swamp. But the Rebels’ performance against Georgia has me convinced they’re playing well at the right time. We’ll see.

SMU at Virginia, noon Saturday on ESPN2

Pick: SMU -9.5

Breakdown: Maybe a small chance of some ACC chaos happening here, but I’m still rolling with SMU to do enough to win by double digits and continue its ascension into the conference championship game. 

Hot seat tracker

This section seems to get shorter and shorter every week. But if we kept track of coordinator firings, we’d run out of (invisible) ink trying to keep up with it.

Already fired

  • Mike Houston, East Carolina 
  • Will Hall, Southern Miss
  • Mike Bloomgren, Rice
  • Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State
  • Stan Drayton, Temple
  • Mike Neu, Ball State
  • Don Brown, UMass
  • Tom Herman, FAU

Seat is red hot

Nobody, I guess!

Seat is probably a little warm

  • Ryan Walters, Purdue: I really want to move Walters into the red hot territory but am unsure if Purdue has the stones to do what needs to be done. This is one of the worst Big Ten teams we’ve seen in recent memory and the Boilermakers’ rival is the toast of the state. They gotta get some juice back into this program.
  • Mike Locksley, Maryland: Locksley is far less likely to get fired than Walters. But I still don’t know if Maryland won’t want to make a move if it finishes 4-8. 

Former hot seat darlings now declared safe by their schools

  • Dave Aranda, Baylor
  • Billy Napier, Florida

TBD

  • Mack Brown, North Carolina: He’s gone on a hot streak lately so maybe he will have another year if he wants it.

Not officially on the hot seat yet but raising some eyebrows and will have massive pressure in 2025

  • Brent Venables, Oklahoma
  • Lincoln Riley, USC
  • Hugh Freeze, Auburn
  • Sherrone Moore, Michigan
  • Brian Kelly, LSU
  • Mike Norvell, Florida State

Hodgepodge Week 12 classifiers

Undefeated conference contenders: Oregon, Indiana

One-loss conference contenders: Ohio State, BYU, Texas, SMU, Penn State, Miami

Probably have to win out to have a chance to make the CFP: Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Colorado, Arizona State

Need help and need to win out for CFP chance: Clemson, Iowa State 

Group of Five playoff contenders: Boise State, UNLV, Army, Tulane

Have clinched a bowl game but not going to the CFP: Pittsburgh, Kansas State, LSU, Illinois, Missouri, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Texas Tech, Iowa, Louisville, Duke, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, TCU, South Carolina, North Carolina, Baylor, Washington, Rutgers

Fighting for a bowl game: Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Virginia, Boston College, Cal, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arkansas, Florida

Once-proud programs that you’re not positive will even be bowl-eligible this year: Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, USC, Oklahoma

Big 12 spoiler: Kansas

No other way to say it, these teams stink: Michigan State, Northwestern, Maryland, Wake Forest, Utah, Kentucky, Auburn, Purdue, Houston, Mississippi State, Florida State, UCF, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Stanford, UCLA

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