STOCK UP
Indiana’s Grit And/Or Luck
Indiana sits at 8-1 and has No. 18 USC, @Washington, and Purdue left on the schedule. More likely than not, the Hoosiers will finish 10-2 and make the CFP. That is quite the accomplishment considering that Indiana might be one of the few programs that has made the 12-team CFP field in all three seasons. The only other programs that could potentially do it are Georgia (likely), Ohio State (50/50?), and Oregon (still technically alive, but it’s like a 5% chance).
That level
of consistency shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when you consider how the Hoosiers have navigated through this season. Other than the Rutgers game which was a 47-15 shellacking, Indiana has been in dogfight after dogfight. Northwestern was a 22-20 game in the 4th quarter. They trailed Nebraska 17-6 in the 4th quarter. They needed overtime to beat Michigan, and then needed a 60-yard field goal and OT to beat Minnesota.
I think Indiana deserves all the credit in the world because good teams find ways to win football games and man have they found ways to win football games. But as a Penn State fan who has seemingly been on the other end of so many unlucky moments the last few years — including one toe-tap catch against the Hoosiers — I just imagine how different this season looks if these 50/50 games aren’t going their way.
Lincoln Riley, I Think?
Last week, I basically wrote the obituary for Lincoln Riley’s tenure at USC, and what happens next? The Trojans beat Ohio State at home in rather convincing fashion. Sure, the Buckeyes did not have Julian Sayin and were starting a true freshman three-star quarterback instead, but beating Ohio State is *always* a big deal and it rightly should be for Riley.
I suppose this saves his job? Maybe? The Trojans still have a road trip to Indiana in two weeks and wrap up the season with UCLA so a 9-3 finish is still probably the most likely outcome, but with college football going the way it’s gone, it’s difficult to feel confident about any one game between semi-equal teams.
Personally, I am going to do my best moving forward to not write obituaries for coaches, teams, programs, etc. in the middle of the season. There’s just too much chaos week-to-week that the vibes change with one performance. It’s truly NFL-like in that aspect.
STOCK DOWN
Ohio State’s 2026 CFP Chances
R.I.P. to Ohio State’s College Football Playoff chances, baby! Woo! The Buckeyes are DONEZO! Put a fork in them! HAHA!
Oh…wait. That’s right. Let’s be more measured, Patrick. No more obituaries.
All jokes aside, Ohio State does find itself in a tough spot. Julian Sayin is out-out and while Luke Fahey didn’t look horrendous, moving forward with a true freshman quarterback is just a different animal. Here’s the schedule down the stretch:
Oregon
Northwestern
@Nebraska
Michigan
Can Ohio State win all of those games? Absolutely. And maybe they do. But 3-1 is possible, which would probably still be enough to get them into the CFP but it certainly makes things hairy. And 2-2 would put them at 8-4 and definitively out, which is just a crazy statement to say considering it’s at least semi-realistic that they go 2-2. Just a crazy, crazy college football season where “8-4 Ohio State” might be a thing.
Reminder — outside of COVID when they went 7-1, — the Buckeyes have not had less than 10 wins in a season since 2011 when Jim Tressel got fired and Luke Fickell served as the interim head coach. That’s 14 straight seasons of 10-win regular seasons. So Ohio State going 8-4 is like seeing Halley’s Comet, and just like that freaking comet, it’d be a sight to see.
Nebraska In The 4th Quarter Of Games
I talked about Indiana and their ability to find ways to win games, but the opposite of that is whatever Nebraska is doing. The Cornhuskers are 5-3, but have had a lead going into the 4th quarter of every game this year. There was the 17-6 blown lead (at home) against Indiana. There was the 14-6 lead against Oregon they squandered. And on Saturday, there was the 7-3 lead and having the Washington Huskies down to a 4th-and-18, and *still* somehow losing the game (at home) 17-10.
We are Penn State fans so we are well-accustomed to the “You know, we are only X plays away from being undefeated.” But seriously, Nebraska fans have to be sick seeing this team squander any close lead they have. They are being outscored 39-10 in the 4th quarter in their three losses — ALL games they were WINNING IN THE FOURTH QUARTER.
