Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Unfortunately, I am the type of person to say I told you so.
If you recall my final words in last week’s column, I stated that no matter what happened with the College Football Playoff final rankings, I would not be dedicating one more column to talking about Notre Dame football.
Even though what I said about the Irish from the beginning of the season onward rang true, even though I correctly predicted all 12 playoff spots last week, saying exactly what was going to happen to Notre Dame, even though ND definitely did deserve a playoff spot and a last-minute reversal by the committee is poor practice, even though athletic director Pete Bevacqua’s statement that ND had “the most dominant 10-game stretch in the history of college football” is both insane and hilarious, I’m a man of my word. There will be no more Irish talk today.
Instead, I’d like to talk about the real best football team in the state of Indiana. The one that plays in Bloomington.
Indiana Hoosiers football, for most of my life, and I’m sure most of yours too, has widely been considered, for lack of a better term, a joke. The owner of the most losses in college football history, Indiana has not only never shown its ability to compete on the national stage, it’s never come close.
That all changed when Curt Cignetti came to town.
Practically overnight, Cignetti has turned the Hoosiers from a laughing stock to national title contenders. If someone told you before the beginning of last season that if you fast-forward two years, Indiana would be one of the few teams that made both editions of the 12-team playoff, you’d probably look at them crazy. But that’s exactly where we are. Not only that, but the Hoosiers are heading into this year’s postseason as the undisputed No. 1 team in the country.
I’m not going to lie, I watched very little of the Big 10 championship game on Saturday night. My friends and I were enjoying a phenomenal meal at P.S. Steak in Minneapolis, and I was too busy nervously trying steak tartare for the first time to see what was happening in Indianapolis. I, among many others, gave the Hoosiers little chance to beat Ohio State in that game, but I was very happy to be proven wrong.
It wasn’t just that they won, but how they won. It’s the fact that the Hoosiers controlled the game at the line of scrimmage like they had all year long. It’s the fact that at no point in that game did Indiana look like it was nervous to line up across the defending national champions. It’s the fact that after giving up a first-quarter touchdown to a Heisman hopeful and a loaded offense, the team gave up three points the rest of the game.
Last year, there were some reservations. The team won eleven games, made the playoffs, but got beaten pretty badly by Ohio State and Notre Dame, far and away the two best teams they played all year long. Hindsight allows us to see that those two teams were probably the top two in the country, and while that doesn’t make swallowing the losses any easier, I think it does provide context for those who thought last year’s success may have been fraudulent.
This year though, there is no doubt that these cats belong at the big boys table. They’ve beaten Oregon, Penn State and Ohio State. They’re outright Big 10 champions for the first time since 1945. They were given the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and not a single soul debated their worthiness of it.
Only time will tell if this team will win a national championship or not, but they are certainly good enough to. Either way, soak it all in, Hoosier fans. This is your life now. This is no fluke, it’s no miracle run. Everything that Curt Cignetti has said would happen, has. They laughed when he called out the Big 10 superpowers in his introduction at Assembly Hall. They laughed when he called Indiana the emerging superpower in college football. They laughed and said he would leave the second a bigger brand had its job come available.
They laughed at all of this, and all of you. So let me ask you, Indiana fans:
Hoos laughing now?
Before I get into this week’s picks, I wanna give a quick shoutout to my boys and the city of Minneapolis for a very fun weekend. The Mall of America is my new favorite place on Earth (it has rollercoasters!). I’ve never seen a man happier than my friend Liam at our steak dinner on Saturday night, nor have I seen a man as defeated as Bibbs while he watched his beloved Commanders get blanked by the Vikings. The duality of man was strong. A big thank you to our fantasy football commissioner Matt, who works tirelessly to both run our league and suck at fantasy football. Thanks for bringing us all together.
While the weekend was full of wins, my picks were not. I had easily my worst five-game skid of the season thus far, but it would have been somewhat mitigated had the Broncos not surrendered the worst beat ever. Nothing to do now but move on and get back on track here. Let’s do this.
FAVORITE FAVORITE
Carolina Panthers (-2.5) at New Orleans Saints
Believe it or not, the Panthers have everything in front of them this season. They still have two games to play against the Buccaneers, and with Tampa struggling, they can find a way to steal the division. But before that can happen, they need to take care of business here. With the playoffs in reach, I see Carolina coming off the bye focused and ready to take care of business. They do so here and keep the pressure on the Bucs.
The Pick: Panthers -2.5
BIG DAWG GOTTA EAT
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5)
I really don’t understand why the Chiefs are favorites every week. I nearly went with the Texans as my dog last week and I should have. It’s not just that Kansas City looks like a pretty average football team, it’s how dysfunctional they look during games. Nobody is on the same page, and it is a difficult watch. The Chargers have been the much better team this season, even with the struggles they’ve had. This is going to be a field-goal game either way.
The Pick: Chargers +4.5
BEAR DOWN
Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears (-7.5)
The loss to the Packers last Sunday was as heartbreaking as it usually is, but I came away from that game impressed with how the Bears fought for all four quarters and nearly found a way to steal the game. This team has proved it can play with anyone in the league. The Browns are coming off a loss, but have Shedeur Sanders to cheer about. The rookie is coming off his best game as a pro. This line is an awfully steep one, and the weather concerns me. With it potentially feeling as cold as -20 degrees, that could have a big impact on the scoring numbers. Bears get it done, but the low-scoring game doesn’t allow them to cover.
The Pick: Browns +7.5
THIS IS OUR COLTS
Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks (-13.5)
Everything that could have gone wrong for the Colts in the last month or so seems to have done just that. I feel absolutely terrible for Daniel Jones, who suffered a season-ending injury last week. Now, the team just might be starting 44-year old Phillip Rivers. I’m guessing he’d probably become the first grandfather to play in the NFL. I don’t know how they’re going to pull this one off. The offense is dead and Seattle is rolling right now. I don’t feel good about it, but things are feeling awfully bleak in Indy.
The Pick: Seahawks -13.5
GAME OF THE WEEK
Green Bay Packers (-2.5) at Denver Broncos
These are two of the very best teams in the NFL, combining for a record of 20-5-1. This game will have a massive impact on who ends up being the No. 1 seed in each conference. I hate to admit it, but Green Bay looked very good last weekend. Jordan Love had probably the best game of his season, and the defense had the Bears confused all day. On the other side, Denver has just found ways to win all season long. It doesn’t matter who you put in front of them, they will find a way to win the game. Playing at home, they find another way to do so here.
The Pick: Broncos +2.5
Well, there you have it. Hopefully I can start stacking up some wins again. We’ll talk next week. I can’t believe there’s only a month worth of NFL games left!
Last Week’s Record: 1-4
Season Record: 35-29
