Nebraska Football Awaits Undefeated Indiana; Hoosiers Have Feasted on Soft Schedule

Indiana has faced the weakest schedule of all undefeated teams in the AP Top 25. Statistically the Hoosiers are the toughest offensive opponent for the Huskers so far, but Nebraska is by far the toughest opponent Indiana will have seen to date.

Kaleb Henry | Oct 15, 2024

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti talks to the defense during the Indiana versus Maryland football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Not all 6-0 teams are created equal.

There are nine 6-0 teams in this week's AP Top 25. Texas, Oregon, Penn State, and BYU all have wins over currently ranked teams. Miami, Pitt, and Army have a win over a team with a winning record. Iowa State has multiple of such wins. Even 5-0 Navy has a win over 5-1 Memphis.

That ninth 6-0 team is Indiana. Hoosier opponents are a combined 14-23. Not a single team that has faced Indiana has a winning record at the moment.

Sure, the Hoosiers have done what you're supposed to do: win. Indiana has done that and is up to No. 16 in the latest AP poll. But who is their best win halfway through the season? The other undefeated teams have a game they can point to.

Who does Indiana point to so far? Is it the 42-13 win at 1-5 UCLA, or the wins over 3-3 Maryland and Northwestern that were one-score games going into the fourth quarter?

ESPN rates Indiana's strength of schedule through the first seven weeks at 112th out of 134 teams.

Oct 5, 2024; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) gestures for a first down against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium. / David Banks-Imagn Images

On the other side, Nebraksa is 5-1 with a loss to currently No. 22 Illinois. Husker opponents are a combined 16-20, including three with winning records. Are Colorado and Rutgers great teams? No, but they, and the Illini, are much stronger than anything the Hoosiers have faced this season.

That said, ESPN rates Nebraska's strength of schedule so far as 117th. UTEP (0-6), Northern Iowa (2-4), and Purdue (1-5), along with five of the six games being at home, are doing some major damage here.

This isn't to say Indiana can't beat Nebraska on Saturday. The Hoosiers have a high-powered offense—led by a MAC transfer at quarterback and James Madison and Wake Forest transfers as statistical leaders—that has feasted on supremely inferior opponents. Curt Cignetti is bowl eligible in his first year in Bloomington. This will be statistically the strongest offense that Nebraska has faced so far this season.

But Nebraska fans know what a fake 6-0 looks like (see Mike Riley's 2016 season). Nebraska will be by far the strongest team Indiana has faced so far this season.

A loss for either team Saturday doesn't derail their season, but how the game plays out will say a lot about how strong either team is entering the second half of the 2024 campaign.

Kickoff from Bloomington is set for 11 a.m. CDT. The game will be televised on FOX with Big Noon Kickoff providing pregame coverage. The Huskers Radio Network will carry the broadcast on affiliates across Nebraska.

MORE: Ranking the Remaining Games on Nebraska’s Schedule

MORE: Indiana's Curt Cignetti Compliments Nebraska Defense, Dylan Raiola Ahead of 'Important Game'

MORE: Husker Football Begins Second Half at 5-1

MORE: Why Nebraska Football's Exclusion From the AP Poll Makes No Sense

MORE: Is Nebraska Football's Offense a Liability against Indiana?

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Published Oct 15, 2024|Modified Oct 15, 2024

KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.