After beating Nebraska with a 56-7 score, the Indiana Hoosiers and head coach Curt Cignetti are getting a lot of love from the CFB world. And why not? After all, the new head coach has earned his team a 7-0 unbeatable record this season. “I give coach Cignetti a ton of props, I could say that’s a football coach who knew how to kick our a** in every single facet of the field,” said a former player who faced one of Cignetti’s teams in the past. Amidst Indiana receiving all the attention, a piece of bad news is on its way for Curt Cignetti.

On the latest episode of ‘ESPN college football‘, analyst and former NFL quarterback Greg McElroy looked into the Big Ten to discuss teams that can make it to the playoffs. The show host, Todd Blackledge, started by asking, “I think there’s still a lot of football left to be played, right?” McElroy replied, with an unexpected answer.

“I mean, I think right now you live in Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State; I think those three right now. And then I think Indiana again, depending on Kurtis Rourke and what that situation is. I think those four teams, you know, are very likely candidates to be considered for the college football playoff, you know.

“And then I think, you know, Illinois might be a notch below that. But I think those were four teams, and three of them are undefeated, ironically. But I think those four teams for sure are serious,” he further added.

It has been an over-the-top season for Indiana. They became the first college football team to reach bowl eligibility in 2024, surpassing Georgia, Ohio State or Texas. their 7-0 record is their best start since 1967.

Indiana has not entered a bowl game since the COVID-shortened 2020 season when the Hoosiers lost the Outback Bowl to Ole Miss. They went just 9-27 over the next three seasons before firing head coach Tom Allen. This year, No. 23 Indiana has not trailed in a single game under new coach Curt Cignetti. No, this is not a fluke. The way they trounced Nebraska which boasts one of the best defenses in the country, speaks volumes. The Athletic’s Austin Mock’s projections place the Hoosiers 10th, with a 61% chance of making the field.

Notably, as IU is bowl eligible, Cignetti will receive an automatic one-year extension, a $250,000 raise, a $200,000 bonus, and an increase in his staffing budget, according to USA Today. But, their hopes of the playoffs can still go awry with an off week here and there. Although McElroy didn’t completely remove their name from his list, he took a pause while mentioning it, which says a lot. But here, they have an advantage.

As for the Hoosiers’ remaining schedule, they’ll probably be favored in all the games except the one against Ohio State. Because they are the only ranked opponent on their roster. So, Indiana has a great chance to win 10 games in a single season for the first time in program history. And their path to the Big Ten championship game and perhaps the Playoff, too looks clear. But the lack of win against ranked opponents is something the experts have taken note of.

“The biggest mover this week was Indiana, which left no doubt in a 56-7 win against Nebraska. The Hoosiers still haven’t beaten a ranked opponent, but they’ve won decisively each week. The only ranked team left on their schedule is Ohio State, so while it’s still too early to feel overly confident about Indiana’s postseason chances, it feels as if we’ve reached more-likely-than-not territory,” ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura said. Meanwhile, McElroy pointed out their QB Kurtis Rourke‘s condition.

Rourke, who even garnered Heisman Trophy talk, got hurt during the Nebraska game. How he recovers from that injury will reflect on Indiana’s next games. Rourke ranks first in the FBS in expected points added (EPA) per dropback and dropback success rate among qualified quarterbacks. Riding on the Ohio transfer, Indiana is leading the nation in scoring.

Rourke will probably not play against Washington but is expected to return during the season. In his absence, backup quarterback Tayven Jackson is to take the charges. Jackson closed out the Nebraska game by going 7-for-8 for 91 yards and two touchdowns. All this being said, the game against Washington is going to be one more step toward the playoff chances. So where do they stand?

College GameDay at Indiana for their next game against Washington?

The No. 13-ranked team, Indiana, is currently the center of attraction for media. If College GameDay visits this game, they’ll create many headlines. Yeah, the news is true. GameDay is coming to Bloomington this weekend when the Hoosiers host Washington. But Indiana will have to play very carefully given their QB Kurtis Rourke’s injury and a new QB Taylor Jackson replacing him.

On the other hand, Washington will enter this game after a painful 16-40 loss to Iowa State. but they are averaging a little more than 3 touchdowns per game in conference and allowing just 17 points per game on average, which is not bad for 16th nationally in scoring defense.

But, as per most of the college football predictions, Indiana is projected to win this game. Here are some of the predictors, such as computer simulations, that say Indiana will have an 83.9% higher chance of winning.

As per the bettors, Indiana has 76% high bets to take down Washington, which leaves only a 24% chance for the Huskies to win. However, with all that hype going on and analysts rooting for Indiana, only a miracle can save Washington on Saturday. Let us know in the comments which team you are rooting for this weekend.