Indiana’s first-ever College Football Playoff appearance ended with a bittersweet reminder of the program’s progress—and how far it still has to go.
Indiana lost 27-17 to Notre Dame on Friday night in a raucous Notre Dame Stadium, bringing the Hoosiers' magical season to a close as the Fighting Irish highlighted the gap between college football’s elite and those striving to reach that level.
For months, critics questioned Indiana’s credentials, pointing to a lack of marquee wins and a 38-15 loss to Ohio State as evidence the Hoosiers were out of their depth. On Friday, those doubts were validated.
Outside of two late scoring drives after the result was no longer in doubt, Indiana’s offense sputtered. The Hoosiers managed just 172 total yards before their final push and punted six times as Notre Dame’s defense stifled their offensive attack.
“[Notre Dame] played well and they beat us, they deserved to beat us,” head coach Curt Cignetti said following the contest. “However, it doesn’t diminish what these guys accomplished.”
The disparity between Indiana’s performance against elite teams and the rest of its schedule was stark. Against opponents not named Michigan, Ohio State, or Notre Dame this season, the Hoosiers averaged 48.5 points and 486.8 yards per game. Against those higher-tier opponents, those numbers plummeted to 17.3 points and 225 yards per game.
Much of Indiana’s struggles Friday came on the offensive side of the ball, which lacked the explosiveness and consistency required to compete on the national stage against the Irish. Meanwhile, the defense held its own for much of the game, however the unit was undone by the razor-thin margin for error against a team as talented as Notre Dame.
"The margin for error is just so small, you misfit it a little bit and the thing rips you for 98 yards and six points," Haines said, referencing Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love's 98-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. "That's how small the margin for error is against elite teams. I felt that way against Ohio State. I felt that way again tonight."
Indiana’s season underscored the tiers within college football. At the top are perennial national title contenders like Georgia, Oregon, and Ohio State. Just below them are teams, such as Notre Dame, Penn State, and Tennessee, capable of competing on the biggest stage but often a step shy of winning it all.
Indiana currently finds itself in the next tier—a group of programs deserving of playoff berths but struggling against the depth and athleticism of the upper echelon.
"They've probably got more depth than we do," Cignetti said. "They probably have some front-line guys that are just a little bit bigger, stronger, faster than our guys."
The Hoosiers were far from their usual selves Friday. Critical errors piled up, and elite teams like Notre Dame capitalize on mistakes.
"We made a lot of critical errors. That was hard, playing against yourself and playing against the opposing team. A lot of things I think we could control," linebacker Aiden Fisher said. "They deserved to win today, they played a better game today than we did."
Still, the Hoosiers showed they belonged in the conversation. This season was a testament to resilience and growth, redefining a program long overshadowed in the Big Ten.
“This team earned it—the right to be here,” Cignetti said. “I’m not sure we proved [that] tonight to a lot of people.”
If Indiana’s loss to Notre Dame exposed their current limitations, it also illuminated a promising path forward. Depth, athleticism, and the ability to rise to the occasion against elite competition remain areas for growth, but the foundation for future success is solid.
The Hoosiers may not have silenced their doubters Friday, but they’ve ensured the conversation about their potential is far from over.
"We changed the trajectory of Indiana football," offensive lineman Mike Katic said. "We changed the way people think about Indiana football. And I'm just so happy that I could have been a part of it."
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