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re: When did it dawn on you that Indiana was like legit legit?
Posted on 2/18/26 at 10:34 pm to JamalMurry27
Posted on 2/18/26 at 10:34 pm to JamalMurry27
I said in this topic from the 2024 season that Indiana was legitimately playing like the best team in the country (though admitting it might still be a ruse).
Every now and then a historically bad team will rise up to start 8-0 or 9-0 by fattening on a weak schedule and maybe running some gimmicky offense before they run into a team with elite talent and it all comes crashing down.
I never felt that with Indiana going back to last year. They have been as solid and steady as any team in the country since Cig took over. Hell, I think they were the #3 team last year behind OSU and ND, the NCG participants who coincidentally gave Indiana their only losses.
Every now and then a historically bad team will rise up to start 8-0 or 9-0 by fattening on a weak schedule and maybe running some gimmicky offense before they run into a team with elite talent and it all comes crashing down.
I never felt that with Indiana going back to last year. They have been as solid and steady as any team in the country since Cig took over. Hell, I think they were the #3 team last year behind OSU and ND, the NCG participants who coincidentally gave Indiana their only losses.
2
Posted on 2/18/26 at 11:01 pm to Hawgnsincebirth55
quote:
When they beat Oregon. That meant they were legit. Top teams couldn’t just out talent them
Once they beat OSU there was really no argument, if they could beat a roster that talented they could beat anybody
This post was edited on 2/18/26 at 11:59 pm
Posted on 2/18/26 at 11:02 pm to JamalMurry27
quote:
For me it was that Beatdown at Illinois
same... when you beat the #9 team in the nation by a score of 63-10, that's gonna get you noticed....
Posted on 2/19/26 at 3:27 am to Hawgnsincebirth55
quote:
When they beat Oregon.
At Autzen...walked in there like they didn't have a care in the world. First road victory for any team in Autzen since 2022.
Outrushed, outpassed, total yards, time of possession and won the turnover battle.
Mendoza said after the game..."We're a real team,..."We're not just a one-hit wonder."
Posted on 2/19/26 at 4:12 am to JamalMurry27
I still can't comprehend that Indiana Football won the National Championship. I know it happened, but I still can't wrap my head around it
Posted on 2/19/26 at 6:35 am to messyjesse
Agreeing with you. I thought Indiana was real in 2024 because they were winning games convincingly without gimmicks or novelty. They would run the ball and Mendoza would efficiently through when he needed to. They weren't flashy or obscenely big play oriented . They would grind defenses down. Defensively the were stout. They were not beating themselves.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 7:03 am to Hawgnsincebirth55
quote:
When they beat Oregon. That meant they were legit. Top teams couldn’t just out talent them
@Autzen.
And they didn’t just win, they bodied them and embarrassed them after Oregon had just won at Penn State who at the time was still viewed as elite.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 7:58 am to JamalMurry27
When they beat Oregon at Oregon.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 8:18 am to messyjesse
Most people thought they were a paper tiger in 2024. They played a garbage OOC slate and drew about as easy of a B1G schedule as possible and got blown out by the only ranked team they played in the regular season.
2025 was different. Blowing out Illinois made everyone take notice, but it was still so early in the season and neither team really played anyone good yet by that point. But going into Autzen and handling Oregon like they did is what should’ve made everyone realize they were a legit contender to win it all.
2025 was different. Blowing out Illinois made everyone take notice, but it was still so early in the season and neither team really played anyone good yet by that point. But going into Autzen and handling Oregon like they did is what should’ve made everyone realize they were a legit contender to win it all.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 8:38 am to JamalMurry27
Like when they beat tOSU, like for real for real.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 8:54 am to JamalMurry27
My wife is an IU grad, so I've watched more than my share of Indiana football the last couple years.
I don't know if there was a specific game, but some point around mid-season after seeing them play four or five times, it became hard to ignore that they made every play the needed when they needed it and their level of execution was damn near perfect.
From that point I knew they'd be a tough out regardless of who they were playing just because their play was so clean. Going back and looking at their entire season, there were only small exceptions where they didn't control the gameplay.
I don't know if there was a specific game, but some point around mid-season after seeing them play four or five times, it became hard to ignore that they made every play the needed when they needed it and their level of execution was damn near perfect.
From that point I knew they'd be a tough out regardless of who they were playing just because their play was so clean. Going back and looking at their entire season, there were only small exceptions where they didn't control the gameplay.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 9:32 am to JamalMurry27
When they beat Oregon. When they pulled off that insane win at Penn state I knew they were a team of destiny
Posted on 2/19/26 at 9:35 am to JamalMurry27
quote:
When did it dawn on you that Indiana was like legit legit?
When they beat Nebraska 56-7 in 2024 to go to 7-0, I looked back at their scores and saw they were pretty much blowing everyone out. Like that "Guts & Stomps" article years ago said, multiple blowouts are a strong signal (as opposed to multiple close wins).
Even then, I figured they were very good but not elite, and the Ohio St. game confirmed that. Then they held up well at Notre Dame in the playoffs and I said, well they're closer to elite than I thought.
Fast forward to 2025, early season looked like 2024, and then they won at Oregon and I said they're definitely elite now. Nothing after that surprised me - except I thought they'd lose close to Ohio St. and they won close.
I was very confident in them beating Bama after seeing a) Indiana beat Ohio St. and b) Bama rush for negative yards vs. Georgia.
This post was edited on 2/19/26 at 9:41 am
Posted on 2/19/26 at 9:43 am to JamalMurry27
after winning @ Oregon I figured they'd make the playoffs again and make a deeper run
then beating Ohio State in the BIG Champ is when I thought, damn they could run the table.
What I didn't see was them destroying Bama by 35, and then Oregon again by 34 on their way to a title.
then beating Ohio State in the BIG Champ is when I thought, damn they could run the table.
What I didn't see was them destroying Bama by 35, and then Oregon again by 34 on their way to a title.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 11:22 am to JamalMurry27
quote:
When did it dawn on you that Indiana was like legit legit?
When they managed to steal a 2nd NFL team.
Oh. You meant the University.
Posted on 2/19/26 at 12:47 pm to JamalMurry27
The Penn State win. I knew then that they would win it all
Posted on 2/19/26 at 12:51 pm to JamalMurry27
quote:
For me it was that Beatdown at Illinois this year where I think I was like damn
Same here. Illinois is a decent team and Indiana just destroyed them
Posted on 2/20/26 at 2:16 am to Sun God
quote:
least SteelersBravesLexisGirlDad is still MIA
What happened to him?
Posted on 2/20/26 at 6:34 am to JamalMurry27
When they beat Oregon. Before that it was a nice story but the really didn't beat any really good teams.
Posted on 2/20/26 at 1:05 pm to JamalMurry27
fricking go away again the board was so much better.
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