Indiana has firmly established itself as a Big Ten and College Football Playoff contender.
In a game that was supposed to be its toughest test of the season to date, Indiana made easy work of Nebraska on Saturday, obliterating the Cornhuskers 56-7 to improve to 7-0 on the season.
The Hoosiers tied their school record for their largest margin of victory against a Big Ten opponent as they put up 495 yards of offense and forced five takeaways.
Saturday’s win was just the latest display of dominance for Indiana in its first season under new head coach Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers have had one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, averaging 48.7 points per game while beating their opponents by an average of 35 points. They have yet to trail in any game this season.
Ohio State is sure to be a heavy favorite for next week’s game against Nebraska with how the Cornhuskers played on Saturday. Highly touted freshman quarterback and former Ohio State commit Dylan Raiola struggled for the second week in a row as he completed 28 passes for 44 attempts but for only 234 yards with zero touchdowns and three interceptions.
Indiana, on the other hand, looks like a team that the Buckeyes or nobody else in the Big Ten should overlook. Ohio State hosts the Hoosiers on Nov. 23, one week before the Buckeyes’ rivalry game against Michigan, in a game that has quickly evolved from being a possible trap game to one of Ohio State’s biggest tests of the season.
The Hoosiers should be favored in the rest of their remaining regular-season games against Washington, Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue, giving them a great chance at reaching double-digit wins and earning a berth in the inaugural 12-team playoff.
