Matthew McClure

What?? I'm sorry, did Texas play 6 games against teams ranked in the Top 10 this year and 4 games against the final AP Top 5... and I just missed it? Indiana's final SOS rank was #1 for god sake. Texas did not play a schedule anywhere near as difficult as what is listed below. I'm saying my assessment of the challenge of playing Iowa is in the context of these 8 games (my order of difficulty). #9 Miami (final AP #2) #1 Ohio State (final AP #5) * Iowa (final AP #17) #3 Oregon gm 1 (final AP #4) #7 Oregon gm 2 (final AP #4) #10 Alabama (final AP #9) Penn State #9 Illinois (final AP #26 -> 2 votes behind #25 TCU)

Trust me, if Texas played Iowa you wouldn't question it. Indiana was at full-strength when they played Iowa and it was easily Indiana's 3rd most difficult game behind only Miami and Ohio State. Despite their BS ranking throughout the season, 2025 Iowa should be thought of as a borderline playoff contender (behind Texas and Notre Dame in the 11-13 range).

I will be returning to my board(s) (Indiana), but just want to say I've enjoying engaging with you guys. I want to reiterate what Lewis817 said about OTF being the best in the business -> if it's not #1 then it's extremely close. Don't take it for granted, the Indiana boards are "very goodish" but not on the level of OTF. Most of the other boards I visit aren't as good as Indiana's when it comes to timely information and entertainment. Good luck next year, maybe we'll see each other at the end of season!

Well said. It's irritating that calling out entitlement has almost become taboo in America. It reminds me of the type of new college grads that entered the workforce around 10 years ago. My message to them is, "No, I'm not an angry old man yelling at the clouds, I'm an angry old man yelling at you".

"Isn't their whole O line gone?" -> I think you answered your own question.

How hard is Texas recruiting Williams-Callis? Indiana's top RB target in the 2027 class has been Isaiah Rogers (#120 247) up to this point, and they're starting to get involved with Andrew Beard (#85 247). I kind of like Williams-Callis better than both of these guys. IU hasn't even offered Williams-Callis a scholarship so I don't know if the interest is mutual yet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4-star RB Landen Williams On3 quote: “I like Indiana and would love to get an offer from them,” Williams-Callis said. “I’ve been watching them and I like how they play," #42 ranked nationally and #3 running back by On3

Please allow me to take a massive dump on this new coping narrative before it becomes the next "Indiana didn't play anyone" explanation. Only 9 Indiana starters are out of eligibility, hardly the profile of a team that relied exclusively on old men. Cignetti recognized experience trumps talent, exactly what is preventing other teams from going this route? What's next, Alabama was only good in the 2000's because they had a bunch of highly ranked talented players?

The "Indiana faced an easy schedule" trope is a bit disingenuous. Here are a few truths to illustrate my point: 1) While I despise SOS narratives and think it's the most over-emphasized metric in college football, do you know who finished with the #1 SOS in 2025-26? That was Indiana, and by a wide margin -> the gap between #1 SOS IU and #2 SOS Oregon was wider than the gap between #2 SOS Oregon and #5 SOS Miami. 2) The record for most Top 10 wins in a season is 7 by LSU in 2019. Only 2 other teams in CFB history beat 6 Top 10 teams -> 2024 Ohio State and 2025 Indiana. 3) Most people who know ball, recognize the schedule significance of facing your toughest opponents away from your home stadium. Only one of Indiana's six Top 10 wins came at home. This doesn't even include a pair of additional games played at two of the most challenging road environments in CFB: Kinnick Stadium vs. Iowa (SP+ #12 / FPI #16) and Beaver Stadium vs. Penn State (SP+ #15 / FPI #18). 4) Indiana played 8 games against teams in the SP+ Top 25, with only #20 Illinois being a home game. In fact, 10 of Indiana's opponents finished with a higher SP+ than Arkansas, Kentucky, Miss St, and Florida! Note South Carolina narrowly missed being a 5th SEC team on this list of lower SP+ ratings. 5) Let's talk about those out-of-conference G5 "cupcakes". Two of those opponents (Old Dominion and Kennesaw State) finished with 10 wins and went bowling. ODU's #49 FPI was significantly higher than Miss State's #58 FPI, and ODU's #50 SP+ was comparable to South Carolina's #49 SP+. Both of these teams were many levels higher competition than teams like 3-9 San Jose State, 2-10 UTEP, and 2-10 Sam Houston. I really don't like the strength of conference arguments, and consider the SEC and B1G about the same in terms of difficulty. Hopefully this tired discussion point will die the death it deserves before next season starts.

Yep, it would be problematic. IU received some good news with LT Carter Smith intending to return. If Lynch stays, IU will return 3 O-Line starters + the addition of Brunner. If Lynch leaves it's more than a small problem.

Ruh-roh. I mentioned several times it's unlikely Indiana's Lynch would transfer, as he's likely slated to transition from Guard to Center (which I think would improve his questionable NFL draft stock). Lynch is not in the portal (yet) but there is an undercurrent (more like a low murmur) starting to build of him potentially leaving for Texas. I'd complain about tampering but let's face it, every team is doing it (including Indiana). We already lost Baby Mendoza to Ga Tech about 7 minutes after he entered the portal (this case of tampering has been swirling for almost a week now).

I went back and looked at the video of the "Dancing Aggie"... hmm?

Cheat the system? If out coaching every opponent is cheating, then I guess. "Out coaching" includes recognizing experience is more valuable than raw "talent"... whatever "talent" even means in the shady recruit ranking industry.

If I had to make a bet, I'd agree it's not likely Indiana will win another Natty. However, the thought of this staff potentially stringing together a few Top 10 recruiting classes should be terrifying to top programs. The good news for traditional power programs is it's unlikely Cignetti will change his recruiting philosophy going forward, which means -> recruits with a "fastest path to the NFL" or "whoever pays the most money" mentality will not be playing for Indiana. This rules out a lot of the recruits that would lead to an On Paper Top 10 HS recruiting class. But... if Cignetti finds enough guys in the 150-500 range that fit his profile... look out. He's already landed 4 of these type of players in the 2027 class, if that elevates to 12-15 Cignetti guys in the 150-500 range I think it will form the type of foundation that he brought with him from JMU.

How hard is Texas recruiting Williams-Callis? Indiana's top RB target in the 2027 class has been Isaiah Rogers (#120 247) up to this point. IU hasn't even offered Williams-Callis a scholarship so I don't know if the interest is mutual yet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4-star RB Landen Williams On3 quote: “I like Indiana and would love to get an offer from them,” Williams-Callis said. “I’ve been watching them and I like how they play," #42 ranked nationally and #3 running back by On3

I mentioned it in an earlier thread, but I'll say it again -> it's highly likely Lynch is moving to Center next year to replace Coogan. It should help his NFL stock so not much of a reason for him to transfer (IU has the money to keep him if it's about money).

Indiana's Left Tackle Carter Smith is outstanding and a future NFL player... our Right Tackle... not so much.

Miami Def better be careful in the 2nd half... next guy who targets Mendoza will get flagged. Fun fact, in the 2nd Half of games Indiana defense allowed an average of 3 PPG. We've played so frigging conservative so far, really hoping IU opens it up in the 2nd Half and starts rolling out their more "creative" stunt and blitz packages.

Really strong analysis and 100% agree with your points. Just like no single play determines the outcome of a game, no single player/position determines the outcome of a game (not even QB). The other thing that comes to mind, is if I noticed a single weak link in the armor I'd be far more concerned about the lack of schematic adjustment to mitigate the issue. I mean we're talking about an interior lineman here, short of Safety, perhaps the least critical position on the field.

This has been the central theme of nearly all of my posts (demonstrating how valuable lower ranked portal players can become, lack of concern if IU didn't sign Brunner, etc.). For those concerned you have a hole at OG, why are you so convinced a competent starter isn't already on the team? If your staff isn't pulling the trigger on a perhaps over priced portal option, it's far more likely either (1) they're comfortable starting someone already on the team or (2) there's still an available OG in the portal they're confident in landing and comfortable starting. There's no way a program like Texas is taking a laissez faire attitude towards an open starting O-Line position, especially considering the importance of the upcoming season for Texas.

Something tells me he's not looking for a girlfriend...

The prevailing thought at Indiana is one of the three guards will shift to center next year to replace Pat Coogan. I'd bet on Bray Lynch (the one from Austin) moving to center next year. During the Oregon game, Coogan had to leave the field for a play and Lynch took his place.

Understatement of the year. It's critical for building a cost-effective roster (you're not going to go "all in" every year). The teams that recognize and embrace this reality will be the fastest to adapt to the changing CFB landscape. If you want an experienced player with a massive chip on their shoulder -> this is where it's at. The catch -> as a fan you have to accept (1) you've probably never heard of him, (2) they might not be an elite athlete, (3) they might not have the ideal physical measurables, and (4) there's nothing wrong with snagging the 1097th ranked player in the portal (they might turn out to be an AP 2nd Team All American -> like Safety Louis Moore). Here are few examples from Indiana over the past two portal cycles: 2024 Transfers #772 Trey Wedig (OT) -> NFL (Cardinals) #800 Aiden Fisher (LB) -> 2024 and 2025 All American #945 Tyrique Tucker (DL) -> 2025 All American #997 Mikail Kamara (Edge) -> 2024 All American #1011 Zach Horton (TE) -> NFL (Lions) 2025 Transfers #829 Stephen Daley (Edge) -> 2nd in nation 19 TFLs despite not starting until Week 9 #888 Kellan Wyatt (Edge) -> Starter (good enough to beat out Daley, 6 TFLs and 2.5 sacks in 7 games) #1027 Riley Nowakowski (TE) -> 2025 2nd Team All Big Ten #1097 Louis Moore (CB) -> 2025 All American #1188 Devin Boykin (S) -> Key Starter, 6th leading tackler for Indiana

Thanks. I got the sense fans weren't too thrilled with Flood, but I don't really know much about him or the current situation with development/retention. From an outsiders view Alabama's board is not more reserved than yours, but it is "different". I found their fan base a bit less football knowledgeable outside of their program. I'd also say they've shifted more from expectation to denial. Things like not understanding how a D-Line giving up +50 Lbs could make their massive O-Line of 4*/5* recruits look so inept. I'd certainly rather be a UT fan than an Alabama fan right now. I do understand your point about "angst" stemming from expectations and the target on your back. It's been a very very long time... but IU fans used to feel the same way about our basketball team. Now it's more like how Dallas Cowboys fans feel about the Cowboys (well... maybe not that bad). As for IU football, there will be teams in our conference out for vengeance but I doubt anyone on the national stage will care all that much.

I tried... it wouldn't let me post.

Thanks, it's been surreal... almost made me forget how bad our basketball team is... almost. I don't know that much about your coordinators/assistants but you can't do much better than Sark. Every reason to believe the version of Manning you got in the 2nd half of the season will be what you get next year. I have no doubt Indiana will have a major let down game in the future, any given Sunday, right? While UT is trending towards serious Natty contention next year, Indiana will likely take a bit of a step back. We have a relatively easy schedule next year, which I'm hoping will keep us in the 10-15 range of the rankings and maybe a contender to reach the CFP again. Josh Hoover was not my favorite choice as our next QB but it could be worse.