My Two Cents: It's Simple Math That 1 Disappointing Loss Does Not Erase 10 Wins

No. 5 Indiana didn't look good in a 38-15 loss at No. 2 Ohio State Saturday, and the buzzards circled quickly. Are the Hoosiers really a playoff team? I still think they are, because one loss does not diminish their 10 wins.

Tom Brew | Nov 24, 2024

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti runs with his team before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — I'm old enough to remember chalkboards and erasers in school. Old enough to still remember how it was an honor — some of the time — to get picked by the nuns to be able to go outside and clap all the dust out of the erasers.

And if you don't know what all that means kids, well, as Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti would say, "Google it.''

I thought of that analogy on Saturday after watching No. 2 Ohio State beat No. 5 Indiana 38-15 on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. It was a beatdown at ''The Shoe,'' and the Hoosiers lost for the first time all year in their one game against a ranked foe.

The eraser analogy came up because it was clear that Indiana laid an egg on Saturday. It was their worst offensive day in the Cignetti era, gaining just 151 yards despite averaging more than 400 yards per game coming in. They were also brutal on special teams, with punter James Evans muffing a snap at the end of the second quarter and then Indiana allowed a punt return touchdown just a few minutes into the third.

Those gifted 14 points were a killer.

It was not a good day for the Hoosiers, the one rough spot in this greatest football season in school history. Indiana had won its first 10 games, which has never been done before in school history. They had reached lofty heights — and were looking for more. Like a Big Ten championship, a College Football Playoff berth and then, who knows, a postseason playoff run.

But it didn't happen. Saturday turned out to be a dud.

The Hoosiers started out great, holding Ohio State to a three-and-out and then going on an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive of their own to go up 7-0. Indiana's defense was great, coming up with a couple of red zone stops. It was still 7-7 with 1:41 to go in the half when Evans, who's been at Indiana since 2020, dropped a perfect snap on a punt. Ohio State took over on the 7-yard line and scored three plays later, taking a 14-7 lead with 21 seconds to go.

Indiana couldn't afford to make any mistakes against the Buckeyes, who have the best defense in America and were my pick in August to win the national championship. But this one was huge. Momentum is massive in college football, and if the two teams would have gone to their respective locker rooms at halftime with the game 7-7, Ohio State might have been feeling the heat a little bit.

Instead, they had a lead, and instantly added to it when they held Indiana to a three-and-out after the break and Ohio State's Caleb Downs — a transfer from Alabama — returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown and a 21-7 lead.

Indiana's offense was struggling so bad that the two special teams gaffes basically ended the game. The Buckeyes' exotic blitz packages gave Indiana's offensive line fits. That group has played a huge role in Indiana's resurgence this year, but they were brutal Saturday. Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was sacked five times and many other throws were rushed.

Rourke was just 8-for-18 passing for 68 yards, his worst game of the season. They had only two drives all game, that first one and a 15-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a touchdown with 1:53 to go in the game.

Do the math. Two scoring drives accounted for 145 yards. They had 6 yards — yes, SIX yards — the rest of the game. It was that bad.

Ohio State, which has won eight national championships in football, showed no mercy, scoring a touchdown in the closing seconds when they could have taken a knee. "Leave no doubt,'' was all coach Ryan Day said about it.

Will Howard with a message for Indiana after the game pic.twitter.com/LAzIptzMKO
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2024

The Buckeyes didn't like all the come-uppance with Indiana. They were shown the clip many times of Cignetti saying ''Purdue sucks, and Michigan and Ohio State suck too'' when he was introduced to the Assembly Hall crowd last year. They didn't like all the Indiana bravado, especially since Ohio State and won 29 games in a row against Indiana since 1988.

Ohio State quarterback Will Howard rubbed it in a bit. He put out a ''Cig'' on the sidelines, faking taking a drag on a cigarette and then putting it out with his foot — and getting a big laugh out of it.

The night before the game, Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye — an Indiana grad who wanted to be considered for IU's opening last winter — fired up the Ohio State crowd by taking a shot at Cignetti and all his bravado.

"I learned from my dad a long time ago, those who talk and run their mouth, most of the time know nothing. Those that lock their jaw, shut their mouth and go to work are the ones you've got to fear the most," Frye said.

“Those who talk and run their mouths, most of the time know nothing”

The SPEECH OF THE YEAR at Skull Session goes to Justin Fyre.

He talked about a pissed off Buckeye team ready for a street fight.

Give the whole minute and a half a listen it will fire up any Buckeye fan: pic.twitter.com/IpjjOm6VJV
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) November 23, 2024

The shots at Indiana were instant on social media after the game. Ohio State fans instantly called them frauds, as did all the SEC schools that feel like Indiana is stealing a playoff bid from one of them. There was another big group of people who were calling them frauds too — Indiana fans.

Social media is a bad place, and there were fools claiming to be IU supporters who wondered why Indiana gave Cignetti a huge contract extension leading up to the game. Others said ''same ol' Hoosiers,'' and whined about every last little thing. Others even blamed Tom Allen, which was foolish.

So be it.

But the truth of the matter is this. The one loss at Ohio State — one or the hardest places to play in the country — does NOT erase those first 10 wins. It also does not erase Indiana's dominance. They won those games by an average victory margin of 30 points.

Lots of naysayers, especially in the South, say Indiana has no business being in the playoffs, and Saturday's performance didn't help Indiana's argument any.

But did you see how the rest of Saturday went for the others who want Indiana's spot? Ole Miss lost to five-loss unranked Florida, and Alabama lost to five-loss unranked Oklahoma, scoring just three points. Even Colorado failed in prime time, losing to six-loss and unranked Kansas.

They all lost — and they all would have lost at Ohio State on Saturday, too. Indiana lost, sure, but I'm guessing every college team in America would have lost to Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday.

The fact of the matter is that Indiana's complete resume still deserves consideration. They are 10-1, not 0-1. They have beaten the defending national champions (Michigan) and the defending national runner-ups (Washington). They beat a bowl-bound Nebraska team 56-7 and have seven total Big Ten wins.

It's enough to be considered one of the 12 best teams in the country, especially if they lay the wood to Purdue on Satuday in the Old Oaken Bucket game. A blowout win would help the cause, to be sure.

I think they're still going to make the playoffs, though hosting a home game is now probably out or the question. Finish 11-1 and in the top four in the Big Ten, and that's enough. Don't tell me a three-loss team deserves it. Alabama has lost to Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. They DO NOT deserve to be in the playoffs. Neither does Ole Miss, or a Texas A&M team that lost at horrible Auburn Saturday and will have three losses after losing to Texas this week.

All those SEC losses are a plus for Indiana. Cignetti, cocky as ever, blew off a reporter when asked about making the playoffs. He seems sure Indiana should be in. Others aren't, but they did get some help on Saturday, and it's going to come down to the wire with the CFP selection committe.

"I think Indiana still has a really good shot to be in the selection committee's top 12 because of all the losses by the SEC teams,'' ESPN playoff expert Heather Dinich — who's an Indiana grad — said Sunday morning.

I tend to agree with her.

I stand by not breaking out the erasers. I stand by the complete dominance Indiana has shown all year in blowout wins week after week. I get their strength of schedule numbers, which aren't good, but they've beaten everyone in front of them until Saturday. And there is no shame in losing to Ohio State, the odds-on-favorite to win it all.

Penn State is a top-four team and doesn't really have any eye-popping quality wins either. But they are 10-1 too. Texas hasn't either, though they count a Michigan win as important. Indiana can do the same.

Wins should matter. For Indiana, I hope they do. This season has been special. I hope it ends with a playoff berth, because they are hard to come by, even with the new 12-team format. Who's to say how often Indiana will compete for postseason glory, especially considering their history as the losingest program in college football history.

Saturday was a dud, but now it's on to Purdue and winning the Old Oaken Bucket again. It's the biggest game now because it's the next one. Win it, win big, and let the chips fall where they may.

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