How legit is this Indiana team?
After its 42-28 win over Maryland on Saturday, Indiana sits at 5-0 in new head coach Curt Cignetti’s first season in Bloomington. The numbers say this Hoosiers team is legit and not smoke and mirrors.
The offense ranks in the Top 10 in Total EPA, EPA/Play, EPA/Game and Success Rate. Top 10! That’s incredible for a team that was at the bottom of the barrel in the Big 10 just nine months ago.
On defense, the Hoosiers are good, but not as good as the offense. Indiana’s defense ranks in the Top 20 in Plays/Game, Total EPA, EPA/Play and EPA/Game. This is a two-way, dominant force brewing in Bloomington.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has certainly looked the part, touting an 11/2 TD:INT stat line through the first five games.
Looking ahead, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Indiana is 8-0 heading into November. The Hoosiers play at Northwestern next before hosting both Nebraska and Washington. Those are all winnable games.
Is the world ready for an 8-0 Indiana football team?
Are we sure there are any sure-fire first-round quarterbacks?
Carson Beck looked mortal for four quarters against Kentucky and in the first half against Alabama.
Shedeur Sanders had a rough showing against Nebraska.
Quinn Ewers and Cam Ward have started strong, but are still in college for a reason.
Garrett Nussmeier has shown flashes, but it’s hard to tell if he’s first-round worthy.
Let me be clear, there will inevitably be a few quarterbacks selected in the first round. I’m sure of it. Teams are quick to overpay and tend to draft quarterbacks way too early. But just as an exercise, it’s interesting to think about whether any of these guys are bona fide round guys at this point and time.
I wrote this just a few weeks ago.
Why can’t Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty win the Heisman Trophy?
The odds are understandably long, but just how unrealistic is it?
Since 2015, we’ve only seen two non-quarterbacks win the award with Derrick Henry in 2015 and DeVonta Smith in 2020. Furthermore, it’s been almost 25 years since we’ve seen a non-quarterback from a non-powerhouse program win the award when Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne won it in 1999.
This tells us that Jeanty is fighting an uphill battle on two fronts. First, he’s a running back and running backs rarely win the award anymore. Secondly, he’s from a non-powerhouse program. More than that, he’s from a non-Power 4 program, making it much harder to attain.
But what if he keeps up this pace?
Through two games, Jeanty has amassed a filthy good stat line of 45 carries, 459 yards and nine touchdowns. All of those numbers are wildly impressive, but his explosiveness takes the cake. He averages 10.2 yards per carry, which tells me that his superpower is racking up yards after contact and turning ordinary plays into extraordinary plays. He’s just playing College Football 25 through two weeks.
If Jeanty keeps this pace (or something even in the ballpark) can he win the Heisman Trophy? Probably not. Could he receive an invite to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony? I certainly hope so.
After ripping the Wazzu defense limb from limb, Jeanty is now up to 845 and 13 touchdowns through four games! Get this young man to New York City.
Can we stop with the Cam Rising nonsense?
Let me start by saying, I think Cam Rising is a good quarterback. He seems like a nice guy and his teammates appear to love him.
That said, I’m so sick of the will-he-won’t he with Cam Rising. It’s nauseating playing a guessing game every week trying to figure out if he’s available to play or not.
If he plays, great! I’ll watch. If he doesn’t, that’s fine too.
I’m just opting out of the Cam Rising will-he-won’t-he discourse.
Did the refs get it right at the end of the Virginia Tech-Miami game?
I think the call on the field was wrong from the jump but the refs eventually got it right by ruling it an incompletion and Miami victory. What say you?
What I’m Reading This Season
SID Sports - Don’t forget to subscribe to Griffin Olah’s SID Sports newsletter. As a former Divison I sports information director, Olah has a great grasp of the sport and I really enjoy his work.
2201 Kimball Ave | Cameron Morgan - 2201 Kimball Ave is essential reading for all followers of Kansas State football. As a lifelong K-State fan and former player, Cameron brings a unique and thoughtful approach to the analysis of the Wildcats' football team. His newsletters are rational and insightful and I genuinely learn something new with every newsletter.
Split Zone Duo | Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson and Steven Godfrey - SZD is essential reading and following for CFB ball knowers. Godfrey, Richard and Alex are the Holy Trinity for college football analysis and insight. Each member brings a unique flavor to the conversation, which makes for insightful and downright hilarious banter about the sport we all love. If I had someone ask me where to start for smarter college football coverage, this SZD is where I'd send them.