2024 IUFB Season Preview! How Many Wins? Can Cignetti Return the Magic of 2020? [332]

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Scott Dolson hired Curt Cignetti on Nov. 30, over 270 days ago. After a highly productive and entertaining offseason, Indiana football finally takes the field for its season opener on Saturday against FIU. What should you expect out of the Hoosiers this season?
What are some reasonable goals for Cignetti in year one? How many wins can this team get now that the Big Ten East has dissolved? How does the conference look as a whole?
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hoosier Nation. We made it. We made it through the
transfer portal season, we made it through the summer, we
made it through spring football, we made it through fall camp.
We avoided embarrassing ourselves in Week zero. Shout out Florida State.

(00:29):
And now the Indiana Hoosiers and the Kurt Signetti era
are going to take the field on Saturday against Florida International.
Through Hoosiers are massive three score favorites in that one.
But let's face it, right, this season has massive ramifications.

(00:53):
This season is going to be I don't think it's
I don't think it's an exaggeration to say the most
consequential i U football season of my lifetime. And Matt
and I are going to break into breakdown and dive
into this team, the schedule, the potential record that this

(01:16):
team's gonna put on the board this year, talk a
little bit about the Big ten and so much more
here on episode three thirty two of The Hoosier Sound,
where we are the official podcast of Indiana HQ. We
are recording this edition of The Hoosier Sound on Thursday,
August twenty ninth, twenty twenty four, where I am your host,
Nithan Christian here with me is my normal co host

(01:37):
Matt Lucans. Matt, I don't think it's an exaggeration to
say this season is for a lot of consequence. It's
a lot for ramifications.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
There's a massive.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Impact that's going to come out of this just because
of the changes in college football, the changes in the
Big Ten, the changes in Indiana football. Before we dive into
a lot of the nitty grit, do you hear just
what are your over what's your overall level of excitement
for this Indiana football team going into the twenty twenty
four season.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
I think, other than the twenty twenty twenty twenty one seasons,
I think this is the most excited I've been for
an ius i use season. I think it has a
lot to do with coach Sigg. I think he's brought
a lot of confidence and excitement and bravado to the

(02:35):
team and to the overall atmosphere surrounding Indiana football. And
I have been looking forward to Game one since he
was hired as a coach, since the day they announced
right that he was going to be hired, And then
he only went and got one of the best transfer
portal classes in the country and a bunch of really sneaky,

(02:58):
sneaky good guys. A lot of other teams kind of
slept on because you know, they're not playing at the
power five level, they're playing at the G five level.
You look all around, every single person making predictions, for
the most part, has IU as one of their underrated teams.
Which it's not very often you find a general consensus

(03:20):
on any one given team in college football. There's so
many opinions, but I would say a majority of them
have been agreeing that the Hoosiers are mildly underestimated going
into the season. And I think Vegas even believes that
because they put the wind to what five and a half,
four and a half, five and a half, five and
a half, Yeah, so like they don't five and a half.

(03:42):
That means they don't know how this season is going
to go, right, because they sit there at six and
six and they said they can go five hundred, they
can go seven and five, they can go even go
eight and you know eight and four, right, or it
could go the other way, you could go four and eight.
But they're sitting there right in the middle and they
really have they have no clue how the season is

(04:03):
going to go for us, and I kind of like that,
you know, looking at last year's over under, I think
what it was like three and a half last year,
the last year's team, and I think that was just
about right. I think everybody kind of looked at the
schedule and I said, there was like three wins maybe
in this schedule. And this year, I look at the

(04:24):
schedule and I think, I honestly think we'll talk about
in a bit, but I think there's a good chance
that the Hoosiers end up with like somewhere in between
seven or eight wins this year. And that's not even
mean just being a general optimist. I'm just looking at
the schedule and how talented IU is, you know, barring
some unforeseen tragedy, which of course befalls Indiana football whenever

(04:47):
it is possible, but given that it hasn't happened yet,
you know, barring some some unforgivable injury luck, really, you
know that the Hoosiers should be just as talented, if
not more talented and experienced as every single other Big
Ten team that they will be playing up until obviously

(05:10):
the Michigans and the Ohio States on their schedule. But
you know, you this year you dodge Penn State. You
don't play at Penn State team that's going to be
really really good. You don't play Oregon this year, who's
going to be really really good. We're going to talk
about the Big Ten later, but I think Wisconsin is
going to be really really good. You don't have them
on the schedule this year either. You do get like

(05:33):
a very fascinating team in Nebraska, who I think is
right there in that second tier of teams that could
make things interesting. I think it's like Nebraska, Iowa. I
would put Michigan State maybe in that tier, but those
are the kind of the team Maryland, those are the

(05:53):
kind of teams that can make things interesting. And then
obviously the rest of the Big Ten rendsout. The Big
Ten is a whole, very very but I do like
the Hoosiers chances against like Northwestern. I think they can
take a Maryland team. I think they can take a
Nebraska team. I think they could even go and beat
a Washington team, which a lot of people are also
saying are very underrated going into the year. I think

(06:18):
there's a very good chance that this becomes the building
block for coach Signetti to then launch his You know,
a cent to stardom basically and then being a household name,
it goes eight gets eight plus wins with Hoosiers in
year one. That'll go a long way to doing them.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
Fast, physical, relentless, right, And the line I love that
Signetti uses consistently is no self imposed limitations on this program.
And for that reason, I don't think this is a
building block season. I think Kurt Signetti might have the
potential to h as many games in one season and
his Indiana tenure this year compared to future seasons because

(07:01):
of the teams that you mentioned that they avoid, and look,
he's quickly able to convince a lot of really really
good players from his JMU team to come over to Indiana.
And I've maintained for a long time, and I know
Kurt Signetti believes this as well, that good group of
five players that have already established themselves as productive players

(07:22):
in college football are better every day of the week
than unproven top one hundred high school recruits that have
tried to catch on at Alabama or Georgia or Notre
Dame and they just haven't clicked yet. And so what's
different in the future is that we don't know if
Kurt Signetti when he brings in transfers, will be as

(07:44):
good with their previous team under a different coach. He
brought in elijahster At, Mikhale Kamar, Mikhalekamara, Aiden Fisher. That alone,
DiAngelo pons that alone is a trio or a quartet
of players that you're just never going to bring in
again in a transerportal cycle that have already played under

(08:09):
this head coach. So it's been an absolutely incredible offseason
for Kurt Signetti. But as many IU football fans know,
none of that matters until the games began, which fortunately
for US, is on Saturday. Let's dive right into that schedule,
Matt that you talked about. Indiana has two softer opponents

(08:31):
that they are going to be massive favorites against in
weeks one and two, both at home against Florida International
and Western Illinois before a road game against Charlotte I
before a road game against UCLA. IU returns home to
play Charlotte in Maryland before going to Northwestern Medicine Field

(08:52):
to play the Wildcats. And then there's a bye week
before IU hosts Nebraska and Washington and then a tough
to the season at Michigan State home Michigan at Ohio
State home Purdue. The way I look at this, you
have three lock victories, you have one lock loss at
Ohio State, and for the first time in a long

(09:14):
time that Indiana has eight toss ups on their schedule.
And if you look at the Big Ten the way
I see it, I think you got three teams that
can contend for the playoff, and then you got fifteen
teams that are gonna be fighting for fourth place, like
three teams in Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State that

(09:34):
could potentially get in, and then everything else is.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
The wild I would like I would like to argue
for I would like to argue for Michigan there. I
think they're fourth. I think they're clear, like their defense
is too good for them to not win ten games.

Speaker 1 (09:51):
My one thing against Michigan is I hold or they might.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
Not even win ten games, but I think they can.
I think they'll maybe lose two conference games, should be
good enough to take, and I think they.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
Can get in at nine. All I'm saying is I
have so much respect for that team that they had
and the coaching staff that they had last season. I
think that was a Juggernaut team. I didn't blink on
anyone else. You can go look at the teams I've
bet on. You can go look at the teams that
I've talked to people about. Like, I didn't care for

(10:23):
anyone else last year in college football as far as
a national championship contender other than Michigan. They had the
best coach. I mean, maybe Kirby Smart, maybe Nick Saban,
but like Jim Harbaugh was totally on on on on
a roll last season. And then I love JJ McCarthy.

(10:44):
I loved, you know, like Roman Wilson was an absolute baller,
the guys that they had on defense. And I know
they bring Will Johnson back. Okay, but it's gonna be
an interesting year for Michigan. Fortunately for in Indiana, they
get Michigan at home, so you know that's gonna be
a game where I'm curious to see what the spread

(11:04):
looks like when we get there. But ultimately, Matt there
are eight games that are frankly toss ups on this
Indiana schedule. For the first time, Indiana plays only one
team in Ohio State that is, and then of course

(11:25):
Michigan as well. Two teams in the preseason top twenty five.
That's it. Yeah, it's two teams. So the era on
the big tennis is over. Rip Tom Allen. He sacrificed
himself for this cause. I mean, as you look at
this schedule, where can like what what fires you up?

(11:48):
And then where do you say? Whoaha, woa, let's hold
off here. Maybe this is a spot where Indiana could
stub their toe.

Speaker 2 (11:57):
I would say the last couple of games, I say,
starting with the Washington game, into the Michigan State, into Michigan,
into Ohio State, into Purdue. I would say you could
very feasibly see the team be at like five and
two come week seven and end the season in five

(12:20):
and seven. Like I could see them dropping all five
of those games in a row, just having a nightmare,
just go and just falling off a cliff. You know,
you start out, you lose it home to Washington, then
you lose in the road to Michigan State, and you
lose at home to Michigan, and you lose at home
to or lose on the away to Ohio State. I
think I mixed us up a couple, but you know,
and then you lose to Purdue. I could see a

(12:42):
run where that where the team just kind of collapses
on itself, whether it's you know, injuries or fatigue or
you know, just some first year coaching ginners. Right seriously,
like like like there's a lot of things that can
go I don't believe that the last but I don't
believe that coaching was going to be a problem with

(13:04):
this team. But either way, you know, I could see
this team kind of getting into a bit of a
funk and losing a couple of games. We haven't seen
that with Signetic team. And I know, I know, I
know it's not been you know, D one A. It's
been D one B with a couple of seasons of
D one A with him, But you know, he hasn't

(13:26):
he hasn't. He hasn't gone seven and five since like
twenty twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen. Like he's had like almost
ten win seasons or nine win seasons at almost every
single year for like the last decade at least. So
I really just I don't see this team not getting

(13:48):
like seven or eight wins. It's just I don't think
they have the caliber of team they like. I think
there's there's a world in which things go super super
well for IU and they end up at like nine
and one or maybe even ten and zero going into
Ohio State and then just lose by forty. Yeah, the

(14:10):
Ohio State's just so much better than everybody else in
the Big ten other than Oregon. I think it's like
Ohio State, Oregon and then really everyone else, even though
I do like Penn State, but those those two teams
have a legitimate shot of winning the whole thing. Whereas
you know, Penn State would just be happy to be there,
and so would Michigan at this point, given although they've

(14:33):
lost fair enough.

Speaker 1 (14:36):
I think, you know, I think you make some very
good points with the adversity topic. I know kurtz Ignaty's
had a lot of strong seasons as far as the
win loss record is concerned, but he's taken some interesting
you know, his JMU teams took some winding journeys to
get to their really really positive win loss record. There

(14:59):
was a game that Signetti brought up when they went
to Appalachian State, and it was the same year where
Appalachian State nearly knocked off North Carolina in a game
that was like sixty two fifty six at app State, and.

Speaker 2 (15:13):
That was the game throwing like hail Mary and both
tea I remember that.

Speaker 1 (15:18):
Yeah. And then app State that earlier in that same
season had also gone to Texas A and M and
won at Kyle Field. So that Appalachian State team came
back home, hosted James Madison and went up twenty eight
to three, shot out Matt Ryan.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah, just just stopped them, stomped on them.

Speaker 1 (15:42):
And then JMU came back. JMU came back and ended
up winning that game in Boone, North Carolina against app State.
So like it's not an apples to apples comparison, but
Signetti has shown at the FCS level into early FBS

(16:03):
level that James Madison, at least whether it's within games,
whether it's you know, a loss that they had to
Louisville for example, like they can bounce back, they can adjust,
they can overcome some of those struggles. But to be fair,
life is different in the Big Ten. Although to be
you know, along those same lights, this is not the

(16:25):
Big Ten East, right, And I think a lot of
AYU football fans are so deeply traumatized by having Ohio
State and Penn State and Harbaugh Michigan, as well as
Talia and a Gregschianno Rutgers team like on the schedule
every single season, never mind a team like Michigan State

(16:48):
that has already, you know, in recent history made the
college football playoffs. Had Mark D'Antonio had an exceptional squad
that one year under mel Tucker, Like, it's not that
nas right, Someone on the Cover three podcast for CBS mentioned, Hey,
what if we just took sort of a glitzy Sunbelt

(17:10):
team and put them in the Big Ten West. That's
kind of the schedule Indiana has, right, as crazy as
it sounds, you know, if you took to your favorite
f your favorite Group of five team from last year
or the last couple of years, and just drop them
into the Big Ten in the Big Ten West, where

(17:31):
you still okay, you still throw in a game against Ohio,
so you still throw in a game against Michigan like
that team generally speaking, frankly could have competed for a
Big Ten West chance, Like I'm not kidding, you're at
in show up in the conference championship game.

Speaker 2 (17:50):
I'm thinking. I'm thinking of like the Boise States of
the world when they were good. I'm thinking of UCF
before they were in the Big twelve, Like you take
any of the Scott Frout teams and you put them
in the Big ten West, they win the West. They
just win the West. Like was too Lane Lane from

(18:11):
a couple of years ago, would would kick the crap
out of them. The Hawaii teams of of of yesteryear
when they were winning. There's a lot of teams you
go through that are from the group of five that
built a really good team. And JMU was that team
last year. They were just good. They went into Virginia,
won it Virginia, which wasn't that much of an accomplishment,

(18:31):
but still and beat almost everybody on their schedule in
Coastal Carolina. You gotta put the good Coastal Carolina teams
and thrown them in the West and they would have
won the West.

Speaker 1 (18:41):
And the one thing I'm going to say about this
upcoming season. We're going to dive into IU's roster in
just a minute, but like the one thing that really
stands out to me, especially after Week zero, which was
absolutely shocking from sun from noon to midnight in the
in the results that we saw on the type of
football that we saw like this season for Indiana football,

(19:05):
it may not be the case in future years. But
this season in particular is going to come down to coaching.
And I know that's a lot to put on Kurt
Signetti's shoulders in year one, but when you talk about
games where eight of them are going to be toss ups,
and in addition, you want to see Indiana really knock
the crap out of FIU, Western Illinois and Charlotte so

(19:27):
they can roll through their second and third stringers see
what they have. Give some of these guys some snaps,
right comfortably win, so that you don't give IU fans
panic attacks, you know, in the middle of the afternoon
or whenever the you know, you know, just you know,
we've been through this, right, remember the Acron game last year, right, Yeah,
So like we don't want to have similar circumstances like

(19:50):
that in a season where eight games I think are
going to be toss ups. So much is going to
come down to coaching. And that's where Kurt Signetti, Mike Shanahan, Tinosinceri,
Bryant Haynes are. You know, they've got no time except
for maybe the first couple of weeks to you know

(20:10):
take you know, there's no patient learning curve here. It
has hit the ground running I think they know that
as much as anybody. There's no year one what is
possible because, let's face it, on Indiana's schedule, a large
chunk of Big Ten teams have new ish coaches in
their first or second year, right, Sharon Moore, And we

(20:31):
talk about Jonathan Smith that Michigan State and Jed Fish
at Washington and Deshaun Foster Ucla. You know, David Brown
at Northwestern just took over their program last season. So
like there are a lot of new coaches. So being
a new coach isn't exactly something anyone feels sorry for.
So this year one is going to come down to

(20:52):
how well Indiana can execute on the football field, how
they can game plan, how they can adjust over the
course of a sixty in a football game. And that's
going to start as early as Saturday afternoon. As you
look at this roster, Matt you know, Curtis work comes
over from Ohio. A solid group of five, A solid

(21:12):
group of five quarterback somebody that received All Conference honors.
There's a deep running back room as far as Justice Ellison,
Kaylan black Tyson, Lawton, Elijah Surratt, Donovan McCully and Miles
Price are going to be your starting receivers in all likelihood,
even though Indiana didn't release a depth chart, and as
you mentioned before on this podcast, Indiana's offensive line looks

(21:35):
like it's one of the better units that Indiana has
had in a while. As you look at the offense, Matt,
what stands out to you? What do you think the
strengths of this offense are going to be? And what
do you think are one or two weaknesses that might
pop up especially early in the season.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
All right, easy? Uh softball fall question? Uh? They thank you,
Nith and the strengths they can you hear me.

Speaker 1 (22:17):
Yeah, we're good enough. Let's go keep going, Yeah, keep going?

Speaker 2 (22:22):
Okay, okay, all right, So easy softball question is uh, Well,
I mean the wide receiver room first, first, and foremost
is just unbelievable this year between you know, Sarat McCauley.
I think Miles Price has been underrated. I've said that before.
But they're deep too, like E. J. Williams, Omar Cooper,
Miles Cross. You know, those are your backup wide receivers

(22:44):
at each each single position. So even if we lose
one of our top guys, I still think this wide
receiver corps is pretty good and it's like next man up.
So I I really like the wide receiver corps. I
think we are miles miles miles and leaps and bounds
better at QB with Curtis Rourke than we have been

(23:06):
the last couple of years with all the tops, you know,
quarterback turnover. We've had sores be playing, We've had you know,
there was Tavin Jackson playing. We've had you know, EJ
Willi Williams playing, We've had you know, there's just been
so many people coming Dexter Sorry, sorry, I mean I'm

(23:27):
looking at J. Williams like the wide receiver, but yeah,
Dexter Williams playing. You so many people come in and
out of that that QB position. It's actually nice to
have a guy.

Speaker 1 (23:36):
I mean, on that note, like, I know you watch
I know you watch a lot of college football. Like
what is it about Curtis Rourke that you're confident and
at least relative to previous I you quarterbacks.

Speaker 2 (23:48):
He's steady, Like he's not a guy who's gonna, you know,
be erratic really and and he's seen so many football
games that he's not going to make bad decisi because
let's say a game is going south. He feels like
he needs to make more plays than what's available. And

(24:08):
I feel like we've had quarterbacks like you've been in
some dog fights in the last couple of years, and
I feel like some of the quarterback play we've seen
has just really hindered the offense. On top of you know,
us having a almost I'm just gonna say having an
inbred offensive coordinator for the last couple of years has
really not helped either. So yeah, I mean, I mean

(24:31):
a better offense with a better, better quarterback and a
better wide receiver that better than I could share it anywhere,
but better wide receiver. I think the team should on
offense be a lot better. Now, all that being said,
there is some you know, area of concern, and that
would be the offensive line. Not that I don't think
that they're promising, and not that I don't think they're

(24:51):
more together than they've been the last couple of years,
now that I think they're not better coach than have
been the last couple of years, because I think if
they are, you know, you just low nick Kidwell, we
transferred in to start at what was a guard, right,
he's starting at Yeah, Yeah, he's gonna start at guard,
you lose him right before the season starts. That sucks.

(25:13):
Now you're starting three sophomores on the line instead of two,
which you know in the long run it is gonna
be good for the program because now you have you know,
you should have those three guys stay and play at
IU for the next two years, right this year, and
then the year after that, and then the year after that,
so they have three more seasons left to play for

(25:36):
the Hoosiers, which means they should get you know, there
should there should be a ton of continuity on the
line moving forward, which is a solid foundation for a
program and especially a solid foundation for an offense. But
you know, they're not that deep anymore. You lose one,
you know, maybe your best guard right arguably your best guard,

(25:59):
and now now you're you're down down one guard. You
lose if you lose a tackle, you could you know,
you could be out basically your entire right side or
left side of your offensive line from what it was
projected to be in preseason, right, So any injuries on
the offensive line could really hinder this, you know, the

(26:22):
ceiling of this offense. And I and lower the floor
as well, because you know, you know I don't have
to tell you guys, but watching IU football over the
last couple of years, I you you know, I offensive
line play has really hindered the offense on top of
us not having a QB that anybody really feels comfortable.
And so yeah, I I think that's my my big

(26:46):
spot for concern.

Speaker 1 (26:49):
Makes total sense as you look at as you look
at this, uh, as you look at this depth chart.
Last season, James Madison threw the ball at about the
forty second high straight in college football. He threw it
a lot, especially at the end of the season. So
one thing I like about the staff, at least in

(27:11):
year one going into year one, is that a lot
of what they're doing makes sense. Right, Okay, I want
to build an offense that throws the football. So in
that situation, let me go out and get Nick headwell
from James Madison. But not only that, let me make
it a priority to retain Carter Smith and Mike Caddock
up front. Let me go out and get Curtis Schork,

(27:31):
a guy who can drop back and throw the football.
But of course when he needs to, and you can
look at the Iowa State game from last year, he
can take off and run put up forty fifty rushing
yards if he has to, you know, a couple games
a year. And then you know, as we get into
Big ten play, the weather gets colder. We know that
once you cross opponent territory and get down inside the

(27:55):
thirty to twenty the ten, you want to convert those
possessions into touchdowns. That's where a really strong running back
room like Justice Elis and Kylon Black, Tyson Lawton and
even Elijah Green and Solomon Van Horse who is in
this i think sixth year or seventh year of college football.
Like a d running back room that's versatile, that can
run between the tackles as well as hit for explosive plays.

(28:18):
That's gonna come into play without question. And of course,
you know down inside first in goal territory, Donovan McCully
who was the who had only one player record more
receiving touchdowns and Big ten play last year, right, you know,
once you get inside the ten, he's going to he's

(28:41):
going to be a primary factor down as far as
scoring touchdowns. And then he got Zach Horton as well,
who was reliable tight end at James Madison. Like this
is the type of stuff where if nothing else, I
don't know how it's all going to work out. At
least it makes sense, and so for that, I tipped
my cap to Curtis short because I think that's where

(29:04):
when you look back in the Tom Allen era, the
Kevin Wilson era, the Bill Lynch era, like it kind
of got derailed really fast as far as building a
roster that matched an offensive identity. And at least I
am seeing that here as you go into year one. Now,
as far as Curtis Ork, I'm a little bit more

(29:25):
pessimistic about him than I think I am on some
of the other guys on this offense. And that's where
I'm the least excited to see that Indiana does have
Tavan Jackson as the backup, assuming that's how it shakes
out on Saturday. We don't know for sure, but at
least we've seen Taven Jackson go out throw the football
of course early in his career at Tennessee, and then

(29:46):
he saw quite a bit of dropbacks for him last
year for Indiana all throughout over the course of the season.
As far as Curtis s Wark, he put up some
gaudy numbers when it cames to games came to games
against FCS opponents other MAC opponents. Some of those games
against Power five opponents left something to be desired. It's

(30:11):
a very small sample, right, That's why group of five
teams always play with the chip on their shoulders. You know,
they're only gonna get maybe one chance a year against
the Power five team, So we'll see how it looks
over the course of the season. He's obviously an older quarterback.
He's seen a lot of games, so at least as
far as Roarks concerned, seventy six hundred passing yards in

(30:32):
his career, that's something that nobody can take away from him.
On the defensive side of the ball, It's gonna be
really fascinating. It's gonna be really fascinating group of players
out there. We're gonna dive into Brian Haynes's squad in
just a second, but first, folks, it's time for who
won the Week? This last week in in IU sports,

(30:55):
We're gonna give a shout out to Mike Woodson and
the entire Edaman's basketball program. I listened to Mike Woodson
on the John Rothstein College Hoops podcast. I thought he
gave a lot of thorough comprehensive, transparent thoughts on how
the off season went. Obviously, for I you men's basketball,
the off season went very, very very well. As far

(31:18):
as loading up on Umar Ballo, Miles, Rice Canaan, Carlisle,
Lou Goodie, and others. He gave a shout out to
Lou Goody as far as somebody who's come and done
a good job. He seems pretty high on Gabe Cups
going into year two. I wouldn't be surprised if Gabe
Cups saw the court more than you expected. A lot
of valuable information there, and I think about a twenty

(31:40):
twenty five minute podcast episode with John Rothstein at least
the Woods as far as the Woodson section is concerned. Also,
the Battle for Atlantis bracket came out, so I'm excited
to see Indiana take on Louisville in the first game
and then it hopefully means they get a quality matchup
in games two and three, because, as Matt and I
have pointed out before on this podcast, Indiana's non conference

(32:02):
schedule needs about two powerhouse teams from the Battle for
Atlantai's to really make it worth it. So you hope
Indiana does knock off Louisville and get to meekn Zag
in Arizona in that tournament. So, folks, if you enjoy
our show, leave us the review, tell a friend, share
our links. Your support really helps us grow this podcast

(32:23):
and reach more IU fens such as yourself. You can
find us on social media at Indiana HQ as well
as at the Hoosier Sound Matt On defense, it's gonna
be Briant Haynes calling the shots for the Hoosiers here
in the first in season one. If you haven't heard
about Mikhail Kamara and Aiden Fisher as well as some

(32:47):
of these other beasts on defense like CJ. West and
James Carpenter, You're gonna learn about them real quick. DiAngelo
Pons as somebody that is receiving some preseason love from PA.
As far as the potential All American is concerned, that's
not completely uncharted territory for AU football, right We had
Taiwan Mullen get named a College and AP All American

(33:12):
during his time at AU. This is a talented defense
Brian Hanes has a lot to work with. I did
a really good job in the portal bringing over guys
like West and Kamara, Carpenter, Fisher and Ponds, Sean Hasberry
as well over Tyu Matt As you look at this defense,

(33:35):
how good can they be and how much time do
you think it'll take for them to get there?

Speaker 2 (33:45):
I think they could be good from day one. I
don't think that they're ever going to be great. And
here's why. First year, new defensive system and you're working with,
you know, a defensive system that's a four two five multiple,

(34:06):
So basically you have five or four and a half
ish dbs right on the field. Basically at all times,
you got two you got two corners, you got two safeties,
you got a guy that kind of floats in between.
Au fans are used to this time. Allen ran a
very similar defense while he was here as a head

(34:27):
coach and then also acting as the DC. The thing
is is that Kurt Signetti's JMU teams, really their one
weekness on defense really was either a giving up a
big player or b against the run. Teams could move

(34:51):
the ball on his teams pretty well while running the ball.
And you look at the strength of the Big ten,
especially when you look at teams like Ohio State, look
at Oregon, you look at not even just them, you
look at Wisconsin, Minnesota, uh, Rutgers. These are teams that

(35:13):
can run the ball really really well. And that's man
that this this defense is going to struggle against the
run in a conference that like.

Speaker 1 (35:27):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (35:39):
To run on.

Speaker 2 (35:54):
H football. Can you hear me? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (36:13):
Now we're good. Yeah, we had a couple of lips there,
Now we're back. Keep going.

Speaker 2 (36:17):
I don't understand this whole VPN situation.

Speaker 1 (36:20):
Anyways, as far as they're stupid, Yeah, we're good.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
Look, just a quick synopsis of what I said while
I was just connecting. I think the defense is going
to struggle against the run. Yeah. I think they're gonna
be very talented. They're gonna have a nice collection of talent,
but they're going to struggle at times against certain offensive
schemes and there's not really anything they're gonna be able
to do about it, even though they are pretty talented.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
Yeah, totally fair. I especially like the point you made
it as far as you know, teams like Rutgers, you know,
teams that Purdue that you know, even in down seasons,
they do a good job of running the football. Of course,
Indiana fortunate to avoid Rutgers this year, but like a
team like Mayor could turn a little bit more to
the running game with Talia now moving on. Northwestern is

(37:05):
always a team that you have to watch out for
as far as the run game. They've always turned out
some quality rushing offenses and this year should be no different.
So you're absolutely right as far as that's concerned. I
love what Indiana has as far as a pass rush though,
So if you can win early downs, then you can

(37:26):
really unleash the skills and abilities of guys like Mikhail Kamara,
Lanelle Carr, who had a couple of sacks last year
against Michigan in the Big House. How about Marcus Burris,
who's somebody we've seen do some good things as far
as the pass rush is concerned. James Carpenter very good
at creating pressure from the interior and the scs at

(37:48):
the Group of five level. And then you have a
DC and Brian Haynes who is not shy to blitz.
And this year it feels like to me the quarterback
play in the conference is going to take a step
back from what we've seen in the last year or two.

(38:09):
So if you can win early downs and make life
difficult for opposing quarterbacks, and I just I'm not sure
who's going to start at QB for a lot of
Indiana's opponents, Like I know Hudson Carter is going to
start for Purdue. I know probably Dylan Rayola is going
to start for Nebraska Man. Other than that, Will Rogers

(38:35):
will start for Washington, Will Howard will start for Ohio
State AID and Childs will start from Michigan State. All
those teams are at the end of the season, like
it could be kind of a crazy quarterback situation across
the Big Ten, especially if Week zero is any indication

(38:55):
of how things are gonna go. It's just, you know,
there's a lot of you know, the both quarterbacks, and
that Florida State Georgia Tech game really had a difficult
time completing a forward pass a few yards beyond the
line of scrimmage. So you know, that's where it does
come to that point where if it becomes a gain
of running the ball, maybe college football is going back

(39:17):
to how things were ten or twenty years ago. A
lot of these things are cyclical, and Georgia Tech last
week won by running the ball and establishing the trenches,
and they just they just did a better job of
that than Florida State did.

Speaker 2 (39:30):
Now.

Speaker 1 (39:30):
It didn't help that DJ had a tough time with
throwing the ball forward, but you know that he can
he can figure that out later on. It's gonna be
a fascinating team. I love what Indiana has to from
a pass rush standpoint. The secondary is intriguing to me.
I thought it was kind of noteworthy that s Getti
kept Jamari Sharp on board and Josh Sanguinetti on board

(39:53):
from last year's team. I mean, coach sig knows defense,
Brian Haynes knows defense. I just didn't think they were
too many guys on last year's team worth holding over.
But he kept a couple of those guys from the secondary.
Nick Toomor Jojo Johnson as well shot out to one
nine and then of course bringing over some of the
you know, Marcus burst linel Carr Benson sneaed like, it's

(40:16):
interesting to me that Kurt Signetti said, you know, I
don't want these Indiana guys to go to other Power
five programs. I want to keep them here, which is
kind of a consistent theme you saw with a lot
of folks right We saw Donovan McCully go visit Power
five schools. We saw Carter Smith go get recruited by
Power of five schools. Of course, Jayleen Lucas went off

(40:36):
the Florida State like. It's kind of eye opening, right
for Indiana's team last year to get so much Power
five interests. So Kurt Signetti says, hey, let me keep
some of the defensive guys in. I'm a little bit
nervous about the depth now. I like some of the
guys that are listed as you know, second ban up
on the step chart. Of course on official depth chart,

(40:57):
but you know, I like some of the guys that
are listed second person up and available. You know, the
way things are as far as the world of college football, Like,
guys are gonna get injured, Guys might get suspended, Guys
might be worse than you expected. And that's when you
really have to rely on the depth. That's the one
area where I think Signetti maybe needs a year or two.

(41:21):
Just little bit more defensive depth would make me comfortable.
But of course, you can't have everything, and so.

Speaker 2 (41:30):
So why why but but why can't we? I mean,
Ohio State has everything, has everything? Why can't we?

Speaker 1 (41:39):
Hey, you know what it might It might just come
down to outscoring your opponents and as we do enter
the year one of the current Signetti era, expectations are
a fluid thing. Uh, you know they change each week,
if the no question, they change each season. But as
you think about the first year of Signetti, like, what

(42:00):
do you think are the main what do you think
is the main goal? What do you think are the
main couple of goals that Scott Doleson and the fan
base should have for Kurt Signetti in year one of
his tenure at Indiana.

Speaker 2 (42:16):
I don't want to make this sound like Tom Allen
teams didn't play with pride, but to put a team
on the field and play every single week like you
actually no fully believe that you can win this football game.

(42:39):
You know, Tom Allen did the whole love each other thing,
and it was awesome and wholesome and easy to root for.
But there was times where you saw the team not
only was outmatched, but there's outmatched mentally. Like if they're
outmatched physically and they're mentally a lot of times, you know,
they take a couple of hits and we go down,
you go down two.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
Scores to go on a tangent, but like it happened,
it's Maryland and Rutgers last year, you know, Like it's
not just Ohios, Like that's where Tom Allen lost me,
Like it's Maryland, it's Rutgers. Like Akron if you know,
for for you know, relative to the level of Like
Akron is a fifty point underdog on Saturday at Ohio
State and that's a team that nearly came into Bloomington

(43:22):
and one they should have won. They missed a chip
shot field goal. Like that's what we're talking about here.
It's not just Ohio State, Michigan.

Speaker 2 (43:29):
They they didn't look like they looked like a fighter
last year that didn't want to be in the ring
for a lot of the years. And that was due
to a lack of preparation. I think it was due
due to a lack of talent, and it goes due
to a lack of good coaching. I think it was
due to a lack of good program management. You know.

(43:51):
For everything that Tom Allen did, and he did a
lot of things pretty well as far as an IU
football coach went, he let the pro Graham slip away
when I think he stopped his higher standards for assistant coaches.
He lowered his stand he lowered his standards for his assistance,

(44:13):
and the entire program crumbled, right Signy Signey has high
expectations for everything, including himself, So I don't think we
have to worry about that. But I I genuinely like
where the program's at. I just I think obviously put

(44:34):
a product in the field that people are proud of
and want to come see. Get people back into the stadium.
That's another thing. You gotta win games to do that.
You know, we had or we would have set attendance
records in twenty twenty had we had a season. I
don't see why if the team doesn't, you know, goes
off to a blazing start, that this year can't just

(44:57):
be kind of what the magic of twenty two, honey
should have been. Really like, I this team could very
well end up being seven to zero with a home
game against the team that was in the playoff last
year in Washington. Yeah, why can't that just be the
most raucous, incredible atmosphere you know, the football the football

(45:17):
team has ever seen. I remember the twenty twenty one season.
I was there for the Cincinnati game.

Speaker 1 (45:23):
I was there. The game was awesome there too, Yeah,
it was awesome.

Speaker 2 (45:26):
That intensity of the crowd was awesome and then we
got screwed out of it by the refs. But anyways,
that's besides the point.

Speaker 1 (45:36):
I I.

Speaker 2 (45:37):
I think they want to put some excitement back into
the program that will unlock a lot of you know,
obviously commercial opportunities for the athletic department, but also a
lot of nil opportunities for the football program if they
can just win in year one and be like, wait
a second, we just hired the best coach on the
market last year, Like, we high the guy that wins

(46:01):
the most out of everybody that was moving. We hired
the guy that has won the most football games in
Division one football and brought him to Indiana and the
you know, the athletic department is really trying to put
IU where, not where it belongs, but in a place

(46:23):
where it's never been in football, which is relevant. Right,
We've been relevant three years, I think, or maybe four
years if you go back through the history of value football,
AU football has been relevant for like less than one
hand of years. Basically, as far as the whole picture

(46:44):
of college football goes, no one really cares unless you're
in the top ten or or somewhere in there. That area.
They really don't. I mean, you're happy to get a
top twenty five invite, but like you know, the Coastal
Carolinas the world's get that, the ucfs of the world
get that, all these other m Yeah it's not Jamie.
They they just don't care. But competing for a playoff

(47:08):
is what teams like and and the general culture of
casual college football fans care about. And they've never seen
Indiana in that picture other than what would have been
in twenty twenty, because we would have been in that picture.
And then you know, if they had a playoff in
the sixties, right when we went to the Rose Ball,

(47:30):
we would have been in a picture then. But you know,
really and maybe in the eighties with the coach Mallory,
you would have seen you know, I U up there.
But just a handful of years and and and it's
a tall task to ask for this staff to do
something that's never been done at this university. But that's

(47:52):
what the athletic department is is putting there. And that's
also why coach Singanni is saying, I'm not putting any
limitations on this program because he believes it. He wouldn't
have come and taken a job just to you know,
take the money and run.

Speaker 1 (48:08):
He didn't.

Speaker 2 (48:09):
He could have, he didn't have to. He could have
stayed at JMU. He could have walked into about ten
win seasons every single year. He could have retired with
a trophy outside of the stadium after him, a cheeseburger
in the stag after him. He could have. He could
have been the damn mascot at JMU. But he came

(48:30):
to Indiana because he actually believes in his ability to
win at the Power five level and compete for a
playoff with this team in this area, with this, with
all the history of Indiana football combined, he actually believes
he can change the football program around and create something
in his own image. So I'm excited to kind of

(48:53):
see where coach Sig leads us and where he you know,
where he kind of kind of hit you know, the
hiccups come, where the roadbumps you know, show up, and
how him and his staff and his drive to just
win at all costs, where that takes this program.

Speaker 1 (49:11):
Yeah, great, great stuff there. I agree with a lot
of what you said for me, you know, as far
as my expectations, uh for week one, for year one
of Signetti is to make a bowl game right like.
I don't think you know, that's very different than previous
I football head coaches, And frankly, I think that's probably
a lower standard than even Signetti would like. But things

(49:33):
get weird, things get tough, things get tricky. At Indiana,
you're over unders at five and a half. I'm not
going to act like I'm smarter than the sports books.
Make a bowl game right like. I think that's a legitimate, realistic,
but also critical goal for year one because schedules are
going to get tougher in the future. A lot of
teams are going through transition right now. I don't know

(49:54):
if Signegie will have much better rosters than he has
in year one. I hope he does, but I don't
think it's a guarantee like year one, make a bowl game, man.
And then I also want to say, like, as far
as IU football is concerned, like and I talked about
this earlier, it's off to a good start. Keep making
things make sense right, Establish your identity on both sides

(50:17):
of the ball, recruit to that identity, make sure you
have a high standard for your assistant coaches. Like Matt
pointed out, I think that's a very very critical aspect
of successful college football head coaches. Right, so you know
you just you need it. You need You can't scramble,
you can't be desperate as far as your assistant coaches

(50:38):
are concerned, or else you're just gonna get run over
in the Big Ten. There's just no question about it.
Jim Harbaugh not not the head coach in Michigan anymore.
But guess what his number one assistant is now there, right,
and it's for good reason. So you know, Tom Allen
had Klin Debor on board, he had Kane Wamak on board,

(50:58):
and then after that it is completely derailed. And you
hope that doesn't happen with coach Signetti. So make things
make sense as far as building your program is concerned.
You're off to a good start there and then along
those lines, make things make sense as far as in
game decision making. Right, I'm not saying you got to
go for an every fourth down or two point conversion.

(51:19):
I'm not saying how to throw the ball every play.
But what I am saying is get play action involved,
use some of the shortcuts, use some of the modern
day football shortcuts. It's okay, right, Like you don't have
to you know, you know, these are the things that
you have to do at Indiana if you're going to win.
You don't have to do these things at Ohio State
or at Michigan or at Penn State, where you can

(51:41):
go out and get the biggest, most muscular offensive lineman
and you have five star facilities and you can just
plug and chug the football down the field. Penn State
has done it for a few years and they've been
really good at it. Michigan did it last year. JJ
McCarthy Michigan, I think ran the ball of twenty five
straight times or something. It's Penn State and won that game. Like,
that's not how it works in Indiana. You have to

(52:03):
use some modern day football shortcuts. You don't have to
build your program on it. Use play action, use pre
snap motions, go for it when the analytics say, go
for it on fourth down or on two point conversions.
I'm not saying that's a concern of mine with coach Signetti,
but I think that's a goal in year one. Use
some modern day football shortcuts. Help yourself get as many

(52:26):
wins as possible. Doing those things we're gonna dive into,
We're gonna give you a prediction for Indiana football this season.
Talk a little bit about the Big ten in just
a minute. First, a quick social media shout out, folks,
if you enjoy our show, leave us a review, tell
a friend, share our links. That kind of support really
helps us grow this IU, this podcast and reach more

(52:48):
passionate I you fans such as yourself, you can find
us on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube at Indiana HQ as
well as at the Hoosier Sound on Instagram. Met We're
on Indiana. What are we? Indiana dot h You can
find us there. Man, this is a big question. I
know a lot of folks wanted to hear your answer

(53:09):
to Indiana's over under this season. It's five and a
half wins in the twelve game in twelve game campaign.
There are a lot of tossups though, So as you
take a look at the twenty twenty four Indiana Hoosiers,
what record do you think this team will put on
the board in coach Signetti's first year?

Speaker 2 (53:27):
Crickett, I was on the point last year when it
came to three and nine, yep, and I will be
on the point this year with it being eight and
four with a Bowl win. So we're nine Windiana.

Speaker 1 (53:44):
Wow, are you really sure about that one?

Speaker 2 (53:48):
I'm certain. I've actually never been more confident in the
prediction that I am in eight and four. I'm serious,
And I've never been more confident in the head coaching
higher than I have I am in in Signetti. I
was gonna say this earlier. I don't think it's a
matter of if Signetti will get us over the hump

(54:09):
and winning football games and becoming a decent program, but
are a matter of when and I and I think
or I hope to God that he doesn't just rage
quit due to the voodoo that happens around this program.
Because if he can, I think, if he can muster
his way past that, I think there's a chance that
you know, you could be seeing some like nine ten

(54:32):
win seasons in the regular season, not even counting playoffs
or whatever happens afterwards. I genuinely believe that's on the
horizon very soon. But I think this year eight and four,
you're in a decent bowl game. You you put you
have a good showing of yourself, you have a ton
of you look up and down this roster, and I'm

(54:52):
looking at not only you have good players nit then,
but there's a lot of sophomores. There's a lot at
of sophomores. You know, you uh Amari Ferrell is a sophomore.
You've got Dangelo Pond's a sophomore, Jamari Sharp is a sophomore.
That three of the offensive linemen are sophomore. Surrat is

(55:13):
a junior. A lot of these guys that are going
to be very very important players for this team, sophomores
are juniors. You have a lot of seniors on this
team too. You're gonna be losing like half the team
next year, but at least half the team is returning.
I mean, we've seen roster turnover at IU where you're
you know, you're basically replacing ninety percent of the minutes played,

(55:35):
you know, ninety percent of the snaps played right for
this team in French time, and this year, you know
it is looking at megnmut what maybe fifty something like that.
So there's a lot to build on from this team.
So I really believe and there's some good things coming soon. Also,
a lot of those guys that you're gonna be replacing,
you're gonna replace them with transfers again, so you're going

(55:57):
to be bringing in very experienced people again to fill
in these roles. This is not like twenty sixteen, where
those guys are gonna be replaced by underclassmen have barely
played any snaps. No, these guys can be replaced by
some of the best transfers in the portal because that's
what coach sig does.

Speaker 1 (56:12):
Yeah, and that's one of my longer term goals for Signetti.
And I think it might take a couple of years
at least for this to happen. But like, make Indiana
football fun cool, interesting again, make it attractive to transfers,
make it attractive to other assistant coaches around college football.
I don't know how quickly you'll be able to make
that happen, but we've talked about other basketball schools and

(56:35):
air quotes on this podcast, like Kansas has made this happen,
Arizona made it happen.

Speaker 2 (56:41):
Kentucky, you and c Place tonight and they may happen.

Speaker 1 (56:44):
And guess what I'm I must must see TV for
that one. Like I'm locked in North Carolina Minnesota tonight
and I think Carolina, by the Carolina was an underdog
in that games as recently as like a couple of
weeks ago, and now they're favored to win on the
road at Minnesota. Right, I don't think Indiana has ever

(57:05):
been favored to win on the road at Minnesota. So,
like all I'm saying is, you can do this. It
doesn't require a eight hundred billion dollar budget, even though
obviously more money more resources allocated to college football definitely helps.
And Kurtzignetti has made it clear that he and Scott
Dolson and Pam Witten are on the same page there.

(57:26):
But that's one thing that I want Signetty to really
do over the course of the next few years. Make
Indiana fun, interesting, entertaining and intriguing for high level players,
whether it's at the Group of five level or the
Power of five levels, to come to Bloomington and play
and further their career. For me, I'm a little bit
more pessimistic on this team. Mat. I do still have

(57:48):
them going over and making a bowl game. I have
them going six and six. I think you just need
I'm a little bit nervous about Curtis work. I'm a
little bit nervous about the depth on defense. I think
there is definitely an outcome that you've mentioned where they
really rack up the wins and you know you talk
about eight nine, I think ten is in the cards,

(58:09):
Like I think an eleven in one season is in play,
like I really do. Like I'm not kidding, but if
you're asking me about the overall expectation that I have
where I think it'll ultimately land, it's six and six,
But like eleven and one would not blow me away,
And I know that's that could get clipped easily.

Speaker 2 (58:31):
But like.

Speaker 1 (58:34):
The road game in Columbus is the one I'm giving away,
but like there is an outcome where Indiana gets to
eleven and one, but I'm gonna say six and six.
I think there are some nerve wracking games in here
that people might be underestimating a little bit eroad Northwestern,
for example, I just think it's going to be a really,
really weird unusual like that Reeks of Noon on like

(58:59):
Peacock and it's thirty degrees on October fifth, and it's windy,
and you just want to kill yourself, Just kidding, don't
do that. You want you want to turn off the
TV and switch to another game. Perhaps you know that
road game at Michigan State and East Lansing November second,
Indiana could be favored in that game. But you look

(59:19):
at it and you're going, oh my god, like East
Lansing November second, it could just be a painful experience.
So that's where I see this landing. Matt and I
are going to uh before we before we dive into
overall big ten that like Week one Florida International on Saturday.
I you, obviously is going to win this game, right, obviously,

(59:41):
no question about it. Have no fear. It's easy pasy,
like what do you like, what are one or two
things you think is going to happen in this game?
And then what do you have a score for this game?
Perhaps forty two.

Speaker 2 (59:57):
Ten is the score prediction? Sure, I'm I'm predicting that
we figure out who are starting running back?

Speaker 1 (01:00:04):
Is okay?

Speaker 2 (01:00:05):
I think that I think this is the game where
are at least in the next couple of games, they'll
find out the running back tiers of as far as
rotation goes, who who fits where, what downs are they
best at, what are they good at? What are they
comfortable with? You know who's who's in good form and
seeing the holes? And I also I believe Sarratt has

(01:00:30):
two touchdowns and he catches two tuddies on Saturday. Oh yeah, dose,
I love it. Those touch touchednos beautiful.

Speaker 1 (01:00:43):
It looks like there is going to be a little
bit of rain in the forecast on Saturday. Hopefully that
stays away. You mean nice, sunny, offensive, friendly conditions. The
books have it thirty six fifteen Indiana. I use a
twenty one and a half point favorite with it over
under a fifty one and a half against Florida International
on Saturday afternoon at three point thirty. I'm along. I

(01:01:08):
do think Indiana covers this number. I wouldn't bet it necessarily,
but I do think that is where it's going. I
have it thirty eight to six. I think Indiana's defense
does a good job here. I'm really looking forward to
this pass rush on Saturday, right, it's probably gonna be

(01:01:31):
the best it's going to be all season on Saturday. So, like,
I want to see them pin their years back, get
after inexperienced quarterback at FYU, Mike McIntyre's their head coach,
comes over from Colorado and really struggled there before Dion
took over. Like, there are a lot of advantages Indiana
has in this matchup on Saturday. I want to see
them really pin their years back, especially on the pass rush,

(01:01:53):
and go crazy as far as this game on Saturday,
and then in general, Matt, we'll go into some Big
Ten picks of the week here before we really dive
into the picks for the week, Like just your thoughts
on the overall climate of the Big Ten football this year?
What stands out to you about this conference? Eighteen teams,
four teams from the West Coast joined the league. Things

(01:02:14):
have already gotten crazy in acc world. What are you
expecting here as far as Big Ten football in twenty
twenty four?

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
I mean, I really do think the Big Ten is
the best football conference as things stands, where we have
defending national champions who aren't even projected to even come
close to winning the conference. I think Georgia might just
win the whole thing because I think they're about as

(01:02:41):
good as a college football team can get before they
just become an NFL team. I really do. But Oregon,
O House, it ain't that far behind. This Oregon team
is legit, like legit legit. There's a chance that they
move over to the Big Ten and just win the conference, right,
I don't I That would not surprise me. I think

(01:03:04):
an Oregon, Ohio State game for a Big ten championship
would be absolute cinema. I I think that that that
you know that that, Yeah, but that also would just
you surp anything the SEC could throw at it. I'm serious.

Speaker 1 (01:03:25):
You see Georgia, Bama, Georgia, Texas, George.

Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
I don't think Bama's gonna make it. I don't think
I don't think Texas is gonna make I think actually
it's gonna be Ole Miss is the best team in
last in the SEC, so I think it will probably
be ole Miss Georgia, which to be fair, does not
have the national drawing of Ohio State Oregon that that
will have every that'll be the primetime game eight o'clock NBC.

(01:03:54):
All eyes on that game alone, and both both Ohio
State Oregon can fly up and down the field. I
think could score at Wales basically, and their defenses are
good too, So like that should be a fantastic high
level football game. I'm also just excited for the playoff
this year. Can we just talk about that for a second. Yeah,

(01:04:14):
Like having more playoff games is great, It's awesome, Like
more and more opportunities a G five team gets to
actually play in the playoff. That'll be sick. There'll be
so many storylines with that. Like imagine like a Boise
State this year, who should be pretty good by the way,
a Boise State team makes a run, makes it to
like the semi finals, you know, knocks off two teams.

(01:04:35):
That's absolute, you know, just a peak college football news.
It really would be awesome. You know, you could see
I think you could see probably about four Big Ten
teams make it. I listen to them earlier. I'll listened
out again. Oregon, Ohio I think basically guaranteed make it
unless the sky falls out of either of the programs.
I think Penn State as long as their only losses

(01:04:58):
come to Ohio eight and you know, maybe Michigan, then
I see them making it.

Speaker 1 (01:05:07):
Like at Wisconsin's a tricky game there at.

Speaker 2 (01:05:10):
Wisconsin's a tricky game. But I still really like this
Penn State team. And then Michigan. I think Michigan could
very well. You know, let's say they knock off Texas
to start the year, they have that win under their belt,
and then they just run the table the rest of
the year and then and then lose to you know,
maybe they lose to Penn State and they lose to
Ohio State. But you're only you have a win over
Texas and two losses. I believe both on the road.

Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
I mean, like that's chill didn't play two or three
loss teams will make.

Speaker 2 (01:05:39):
The playoff this year, yeah, I I I think the
Big ten is a good chance to get fourteenth. I
there's also the sneaky I mean, I hate to call
them sneaky, but USC, I they have the talent if
they put it all together, they have the talent there
where I think they.

Speaker 1 (01:05:56):
They had a schedule, right, Michigan plays Texas, USC plays LSU.

Speaker 2 (01:06:00):
Right, Like, yeah, they didn't have to.

Speaker 1 (01:06:02):
They probably didn't see expansion coming.

Speaker 2 (01:06:05):
But they didn't have to. But I like this USC team,
and I know it's going to come back to bite
me in the but but see, yeah, yeah, if USC
can figure out their defense, I really think they have
something going there. But I feel like people have been
talking about USC the same way for like the last
fifteen years, since they were last really competing for a

(01:06:29):
national championship. And I said earlier, I think Wisconsin's gonna
be pretty good. I think Iowa returns Cade McNamara and
they have a different offensive coordinator, so they should at
least throw the ball down the field at some point,
and you know the defense is going to be good.
I think Rutgers can be spicy. I think Maryland could

(01:06:51):
be spicy. I you obviously said I you could be spicy.
I do think that Northwestern and Purdue I think Illin
no Way could be really bad. And then Nebraska. I
don't know what to think about Nebraska. I really don't.
I want to have a high expectations for them that
they're going to be good, but I don't see it.

(01:07:14):
I think Ucla is gonna be bad. And last team
I think I haven't mentioned or I haven't mentioned Minnesota.
I think is also not gonna be great. Is Washington,
who should be interesting because again they're coming off national
championship appearance, national Championship game appearance last year, but they
lost so much and they have a new head coach, right,
so I don't really know what to expect there either.

(01:07:34):
So a lot of question marks going into Big Ten,
plus so many questions.

Speaker 1 (01:07:38):
This is gonna be? This is gonna be? I said
it early. It's the most consequential football season in IU history,
and that's you know, a big part of that reason
is because of all the drastic changes into Big Ten
in college football in the transfer portal, like whoever could
Like Florida State is a national powerhouse. Yeah, they are

(01:08:01):
an afterthought in the blink of an eye, even though
they had an undefeated season last year.

Speaker 2 (01:08:08):
Until the Georgia they should have been the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (01:08:12):
Like they are not. They are not a thing to
think about anymore. Like they are not a program to
consider because they've already been buried under the new day
and age of college football. They weren't ready to go
against Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech had a couple of transfers
that played well for them, They had an identity that

(01:08:34):
worked for them. They had a coach that you know,
completely brought everything together beautifully, and Florida Straight tried to
go into the portal for a quarterback. They tried to
go in the portal to get Jayalen Lucas. They tried
to bring you know, keep over, a coach that did
some good, did a lot of good things last year,

(01:08:54):
and it imploded in their face. That's all it takes
in twenty twenty four. Whatever you thought about college football
before this year, throw it all in the trash. And
so the twelve team playoffs is one of the best
moves the sport has ever made. All Now you have,

(01:09:15):
you know, conference champs, get in your top four seeds.
With the buye, you get you get playoff games in
some of the most incredible stadiums on this planet. You
have playoff games. You get a playoff game at the
Big House, We're at Happy Valley, We're at the Shoe.

Speaker 2 (01:09:32):
Like.

Speaker 1 (01:09:32):
That's what college football desperately needed to go towards. I'm
sick and tired of seeing State Farm Stadium in Glendale
or the superdomin New Orleans, or Lucas Oil Stadium in
Indianapolis for these for these massive consequential playoff games. In
the NFL, they do that so well. I turned on
the playoff lambeau Field Arrowhead right like it's what it's

(01:09:55):
all about. College football needed that, and they've gone to
that format now. And I'm so fired up to see
some of these playoff games in the most landmark, hallmark
stadiums that we have in the United States of America.
This is going to be an unbelievable year and it's

(01:10:15):
already started. Saturday is going to be madness. Tonight's going
to be madness. Right North Dakota State is going to
walk into Boulder and knock off Deon's team without question.
Penn State is.

Speaker 2 (01:10:25):
That would be so funny.

Speaker 1 (01:10:26):
Penn State is just an eight point favorite on the
road at West Virginia on Saturday. So all the Hohoton
they have like they could stub their tone nest in
an ugly fashion Week one and all of a sudden
were talking about West Virginia in the playoff and Penn
State need to fight uphill. It's that easy.

Speaker 2 (01:10:46):
That West Virginia atmosphere is going to be real. They
have none class off on Friday, have class off on Friday.
They they're prepared, They're preparing for this game twenty four
hours in advance.

Speaker 1 (01:10:58):
Oh my gosh, it's absolutely hysterical to see some of
the to see some of the possibilities develop here. I mean,
we haven't even talked about like Clemson Georgia and Miami
versus Florida Notre Dame against Texas A and M on
Saturday night. Like we're talking about some real, real high
profile contests as far as what is potentially coming up.

(01:11:22):
And fortunately we won't have an undefeated team kept out
of the playoffs, right right, right, Well, I guess we'll
see as you look at the different games in the
Big Ten this week, Matt, as far as your Big
Ten picks of the week, we usually like to throw
out one or two for those of you who are
listening ahead of Saturday. We look across the different point spreads,

(01:11:42):
the different over unders across the Big Ten and give
you something that we you know, something that we're confident
in going into Saturday, because why not, Matt. As you
look at the different point spreads, the over unders, the
money lines as far as Week one, anything stand out
to you any POTENTI upsets in the banking as far
as the first week of college football is concerned. Hm hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:12:06):
I I would say I think Colorado loses to North
Dakota State. I think that's that's pretty much a I mean,
like it's a given in my brain. I think that
team in Colorado sucks. I also, I like, uh, who

(01:12:27):
does Nerve game.

Speaker 1 (01:12:27):
Play your names on the road at Texas.

Speaker 2 (01:12:30):
A and M. I think Texas A and M wins
that game.

Speaker 1 (01:12:34):
And it's A and M's favored by three on Saturday night.

Speaker 2 (01:12:37):
Yeah, I think I think A and M wins that game.

Speaker 1 (01:12:40):
What about L s U us C Sunday night. That
should be a big one as well.

Speaker 2 (01:12:44):
I like, give me regret saying this.

Speaker 1 (01:12:48):
Give me USC four and a half point favorites are
l suf That game is in Vegas, so you would
think USC has there, has the crowd advantage there.

Speaker 2 (01:12:57):
But who knows, but lsu fans low hard.

Speaker 1 (01:13:02):
What about Big ten met anything you see as far
as the Big ten is concerned, that stands out to you.

Speaker 2 (01:13:07):
I mean, USC is the big Tens. Notre Dame sure
could be the Big ten. Not not not in a
in a in a very very suited universe. I think
they could be the Big ten. Let's see. Let me
look at the games real fast.

Speaker 1 (01:13:24):
If they have yeah, I'll give you one or two.
As far as I'm coning, you know I have. I
have North Carolina covering two at Minnesota. As far as
Thursday night is concerned, I think Miami Ohio goes into
Northwestern and cover. I see they win. Miami Ohio beats
Northwestern straight up. Northwestern is only getting only giving three

(01:13:46):
in that game. Miami Ohio has kind of run their
football program really well. Their quarterback Brett Gabbert may not
play and if that happens, then it's gonna be a
little bit annoying as far as my pick is concerned.
But I already love the head coach Chuck Martin coming
out and throwing Alabama and Kaitlyn Debor under the bus
for pilfering their kicker. And so shout off to the

(01:14:10):
Red Hawks head coach Chuck Martin defending his team. That's
what I love to see. I'm also gonna take UCLA
to cover thirteen and a half at Hawaii on Saturday night.
That's a CBS game Saturday afternoon in Hawaii. Just a
weird schedule wrinkle. UCLA goes to Hawaii on Saturday night,
has a bye, and then hosts Indiana in week three,

(01:14:33):
So I guess UCLA is confident in not scheduling a
cupcake early. I mean, they are thirteen and a half
point favorites, but it's on the road and it's not
a cupcake. But I do think U Seela covers thirteen
and a half. By the way, after UCLA hosts Indiana,
they head to Tiger Stadium to play LSU and then

(01:14:56):
they come back host Oregon and then go to Penn State.
So for UCLA, like it gets crazy real fast, but
putting the shoe on the other foot. Thinking of it
from their perspective, They're looking at week three, September fourteenth
home against Indiana almost like a must win game for
them before that three game set at LSU home Oregon

(01:15:21):
at Penn State. So I think Deshaun Foster is going
to have his team ready to go Saturday night in
the US afternoon in Hawaii thirteen and a half points.
I think UCLA covers that number. Anything else stand out
to you, Matt as far as the Slate is concerned, Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
Let me let me give you my one cover and
my one upset. I think I think my cover is
I mean, this is a team that's been good for
a long time. They've just flown under everybody's radar. Give
me University of Texas l Passo to cover against Nebraska.
Nebraska's favored by almost thirty. I feel like that is

(01:15:58):
just that's a lot, especially if our team starting a
true freshman QB.

Speaker 1 (01:16:03):
That is just a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:16:05):
And then I I actually I'm all in on Hawaii,
Like give me, give me Hawaii just just straight up upset.

Speaker 1 (01:16:13):
Wow, I love it, I love it. That would be something.
One other thing that stands out to me before I forget.
There's no way we're getting fifty two points in Penn
State West Virginia. So under under fifty two, hopefully you
can get a fifty two and a half out there.

Speaker 2 (01:16:32):
Penn State just doesn't have receivers.

Speaker 1 (01:16:34):
They just don't. They could have. They've had great they've
had Alan Robinson, they've had uh, you know, John Dotson.
They've had some, but they don't have them on this
kJ Hamler they have, they've had those guys, and they
still struggle to score twenty one points. Like they're not
like that game. It's gonna be like seven to six

(01:16:55):
after three quarters. So there's I'm wrong. Hopefully, Well guess
what if I'm wrong, you get an entertaining game that
would be just wonderful. Matt Final thoughts here on this Thursday,
as we wind down Indiana football about to embark on
their journey Week one coach Signetti twenty twenty four, as
we wrap up here, any final words before we get

(01:17:18):
things concluded.

Speaker 2 (01:17:21):
I think I've said this a couple of times, but
just nice to have football back. It's just nice, just nice.
It's not nice. What time it is like, I don't
know if y'all know this, but you know, China is
twelve hours ahead, so when you got a noon game,
it's a midnight game for me. And then it gets
worse with every single time slot. So on top of

(01:17:42):
the fact that I work at nine am on Sunday,
I'm just not going to sleep. Like it's fine. I'll
go to bed after I get home at six o'clock
on Saturday night, fall asleep, wake up for six hours,
sleep at midnight, and then watch nine hours football, go
into work, watch it, and then work all day and

(01:18:04):
then pass out on Sunday night to wake up and
watch NFL games. Uh. I'm just yeah, you need sleep
when there's football exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:18:14):
Yeah. I mean, and you have like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
So like, yeah, I sleep in light all those days.
It's fine as far as I'm concerned, Like, yeah, any
anything else on your end, met.

Speaker 2 (01:18:27):
Oh no, just uh, just super excited for his AU team.
Can't wait to see their first game and kind of
see what we're you know, we see it on paper,
but it will be nice to see like have visual
representation of what we're working with here.

Speaker 1 (01:18:41):
Well, and that's exactly it, right, Like Okay, Indiana's done
what they've had to do since since hiring coach Signetti
on November thirtieth, which again that's nine months ago, right, So,
like it's it's not easy to do what he's done
over the course of nine months. He's built hype around
this program. He's brought over really good players, he's he's

(01:19:04):
brought over some highly regarded assistant coaches to this program.
Like but but as I mentioned earlier, like there is
no ramp up here like that, That's what I want
to wrap this up, Like, there is no ramp up.
It is not Hey, year one, you get to four
or five, year two, you get to six, year three
maybe better, blah blah blah. That's not how things are anymore.

(01:19:26):
Year one hit the ground running. I don't know if
Indiana will feeld a better team in the kurtsign that
year than the one they have right now, Like, I
do not know. I would like to think in future
they get a little bit more defensive depth, a little
bit more depth in the trenches. I don't know if
that's a guarantee. So take care of business week one

(01:19:46):
Week two Florida International, Western Illinois. I want to see
Indiana put in some second third ford stringers in these
first couple of games. Go out there, build a assive lead,
pull your starters, let second third fourth stringers get some experience,

(01:20:07):
give them some snaps. Because what you see on the
game day field is much different than what you see
in practice or on paper. So I want to see
Indiana take care of business these first two weeks. And
then they go into UCLA on September fourteenth, and we're
buckled up and ready to go for that one. But folks,
that about wraps it up for a three hundred and

(01:20:28):
thirty second show of the Hoosier Sound. Thank you so
much for joining us. We really appreciate your support to
hear more fantastic episodes like the one you heard today.
Be sure to follow us at Indiana HQ are at
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in the future. You can also go to our website
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But as always, thank you for listening. Who's your nation

(01:20:50):
and see you next time.