The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP Playoff) kicks off Friday night under the lights of the cathedral of Notre Dame Stadium. Two in-state teams will battle it out for state supremacy, and the right to move on to play Southeastern Conference Champion Georgia in the CFP Playoff quarterfinals in the Sugar Bowl.
Indiana, the surprise team in college football this season, under new coach Curt Cignetti earned the right to play in the 12-team field. The AP Coach of the Year will take his team into the state’s richest football tradition, and enemy territory, to take on coach Marcus Freeman and his Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The weather will be cold, in the low 20’s with a chance of snow. Expect the pageantry and battle on the field to heat things up.
Friday, Dec. 20
8 p.m. ET: No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Indiana (+7, 51 O/U)
Notre Dame Offense
Notre Dame has a balanced attack, with the nation’s 10th most productive ground game, averaging 224.8 yards per game and 196.4 yards per game in passing. Quarterback (QB) Riley Leonard orchestrates 234.4 yards of total offense per outing on his own, and has accumulated 30 total touchdowns. Running back (RB) Jeremiyah Love is a major factor for both the run and pass for the Irish with 1,145 total yards from scrimmage.
Indiana Defense
The Hoosiers, however, rank second nationally in total defense, allowing only 244.8 yards per game. Names to know among the Indiana defensive attack include Edge Mikail Kamara, linebacker (LB) Aiden Fisher and safety (S) Amare Ferrell.
Indiana Offense
The Hoosiers move the ball primarily through the air. QB Kurtis Rourke has passed for 2,827 yards on the season with 27 touchdowns (TD’s) and just four interceptions. The primary target is WR Elijah Sarratt, averaging over 18 yards per catch, but four other pass catchers have over 300 receiving yards. The rushing attack contributed 173.6 yards per contest led by the tandem of Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton.
Notre Dame Defense
Notre Dame LB’s Jack Kiser and Drayk Bowen make impact all over field. The Fighting Irish pass rush averages only 2.5 sacks a game, but Xavier Watts has five picks to lead an active secondary.
Game Prediction
Two 11-1 teams from Indiana will battle it out for state supremacy in South Bend to make the CFP Playoff quarterfinals. It will be a fight of a top ranked Notre Dame offense versus a top ranked Indiana defense. We trust Riley and the home crowd a little more to advance to take on Georgia. We have the over in both points and the O/U. Notre Dame 31 Indiana 23
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