Get in folks we’re talking Curt Cignetti football.
Ready or not, football season is around the corner. Indiana has a new head coach, a new roster, and some newfound momentum in the college football world.
The Big Ten also has four new teams and has done away with the East/West divisions that plagued prior Indiana staffs. This could make the road easier in the future, but 2024 still features some formidable opponents like Michigan, Ohio State, and Washington.
So yes, Indiana has to play both of the teams that played in last year’s national title game.
We may not know what Indiana will look like in year one of the Cignetti era, but we can at least look ahead to some of the known commodities on the 2024 schedule and take a few stabs at projecting this year’s record. So reader, we will do that for you.
Week One: Florida International
Colin: FIU enters year three of a coaching tenure that’s never seen them go better than 4-8 or 9th place in Conference USA. Hoosier W.
LCN: Frankly, FIU at Memorial Stadium in week one just sounds like a past Indiana football nightmare. That being said, Curt Cignetti isn’t going to look to mess around and will probably try to make an impression immediately. Hoosiers win, 1-0.
Miles: Mike MacIntyre was 2016 AP Coach of the Year at Colorado. I think he finally gets the Panthers going this season but not until after week one. Hoosier dub.
Week Two: Western Illinois
Colin: First time head coach taking over a team that has literally not won a game in two seasons. Hoosier W.
LCN: Indiana should just take care of business. Hoosiers win, 2-0.
Miles: The Leathernecks have been a subpar FCS side for the better part of a decade now. Indiana rolls to 2-0.
Week Three: at UCLA
Colin: Another first-year head coach, but this time, one who was promoted internally. They also brought in Eric Bieniemy as an offensive coordinator and were able to retain most players from a team that won a bowl game. Could be a good game, but I think Indiana drops this one on the road.
LCN: Hey if you wanna visit the Rose Bowl, why not in year one. The Bruins, as Colin mentioned, have a first year head coach after Chip Kelly joined his mentee, Ryan Day, in Columbus. This one feels like more of a tossup, but I’ll give it to UCLA due to the long travel for Indiana and other home field advantages. Hoosiers fall, 2-1.
Miles: I will go against the grain here and say the Hoosiers pick up a win in their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1968. UCLA opens its season at Hawaii and will get an extra week to prep for this one but I think reps matter more than rest in the early going. Indiana moves to 3-0 thanks to heavy reps for the starters in weeks one and two.
Week Four: Charlotte
Colin: The 49ers went 3-9 in year one under Biff Poggi and I do not expect them to improve enough to challenge Indiana this year. Hoosiers move to 3-1.
LCN: Charlotte shouldn’t be taken lightly, but this should be a win for Indiana by all means. Hoosiers win, 3-1.
Miles: Cignetti stays perfect through four games.
Week Five: Maryland
Colin: Maryland smoked Indiana last year but had some suspect losses against teams like Illinois that make it hard to believe in them as anything other than a lower tier Big Ten team. In five seasons, Mike Locksley is 15-32 in conference play as the Terps head coach. We’ll know more about Indiana by the time this one actually rolls around, but I like this as Cigs’ first Big Ten win in a hopefully rowdy Memorial Stadium.
LCN: At 3-1, Indiana is starting to smell a bowl berth. Late September should have some decent weather and I imagine there’ll be a big push for tickets to Cignetti’s first Big Ten matchup at home. That could be enough. Hoosiers at 4-1.
Miles: I have Indiana dropping to 4-1 here. This is absolutely a winnable game but after watching last year’s pummeling I am hesitant to pick against the Terps. Maryland will make a bowl game and be far worse than its record in 2024.
Week Six: at Northwestern
Colin: David Braun shocked the world last year leading the Wildcats to a much more successful season than anyone could have anticipated in the wake of the Pat Fitzgerald scandal. They’ll have a lot of new pieces this year, including a new lakefront stadium that could limit a passing attack on a windy day. I like this one to get weird, so let’s say Indiana here too.
LCN: I truly think Indiana wins one of Maryland or Northwestern, but not both. Given that this one is on the road, albeit in that temporary lakefront stadium, I think they drop this. Hoosiers at 4-2.
Miles: This game has the greatest “Stupid Potential” of any on the schedule. I have Indiana falling to 4-2 here but I sure am excited to see what the stadium looks like.
Week Seven: Nebraska
Colin: Matt Rhule year one was turbulent for Nebraska, but did see wins over two teams that beat last year’s Hoosiers in Illinois and Purdue. Like Indiana, there are a lot of unknowns on that team, especially on offense. A second straight game that feels like it could go either way, but I will give Rhule the benefit of the doubt after his work at Baylor. This game matters more to his tenure at Nebraska than it does for Cigs at IU. Hoosier L.
LCN: Matt Rhule’s year ones are usually bad. He’s a builder, not an immediate impact guy. Raiola is a very good option at QB and Rhule has succeeded at the college level before. Indiana falls, 4-3.
Miles: Matt Rhule did the one thing an elite college coach/pro coordinator should never do: take an NFL head coaching gig. I see Rhule’s first Husker team finishing in the top half of the conference and taking this game. Third straight loss for the Hoosiers.
Week Eight: Washington
Colin: I think it will be easier for the team that 14-1 last year to adjust to its new coach than it will be for the team that went 3-9. Hoosier L.
LCN: Let’s get a bit out there. Washington is trying to rebuild/reload after a run to the title game that left them coachless when the former Indiana offensive coordinator became the new head coach at Alabama. What if… that’s enough? Hoosiers move to 5-3.
Miles: They’ll somehow involve Michael Penix Jr. in the broadcast and we’ll all get real sad. Hoosiers fall to .500 at 4-4.
Week Nine: at Michigan State
Colin: My god there are so many new coaches on the schedule this year. No research, chaos pick based on Indiana v. MSU the last 3-4 years – Hoosier W.
LCN: As Colin said, the conference has a lot of new coaches and they’re all on Indiana’s schedule. Michigan State isn’t the national power it was under Dantonio, with Indiana getting a few wins these past few years. Johnathon Smith is a different guy, one that’ll likely win in East Lansing. Including this year. Hoosiers at 5-4
Miles: This is Indiana’s best chance at a win in weeks eight through eleven and I think they get it. Too much shuffling going on in East Lansing and I’d bet the trust the Hoosiers have in Curt Cignetti allows them to weather the rough stretch. Indiana moves to 5-4.
Week Ten: Michigan
Colin: Nope. Hoosier L.
LCN. Yeah. 5-5.
Miles: Hoosier loss. 5-5.
Week Eleven: at Ohio State
Colin: Please refer to my thoughts on week ten.
LCN: ^^^, 5-6
Miles: Hoosier loss. 5-6 with a bowl berth on the line in the Bucket game.
Week Twelve: Purdue
Colin: Indiana was about as bad as it could have possibly been at this point last year with nothing to play for and still kept it close against the Boilermakers. Hoosier W.
LCN: Memorial Stadium with a bowl berth on the line and a chance for Cignetti to make a statement? Yeah. Hoosiers 6-6.
Miles: Indiana loses a tough one and finishes the season a win short of bowl eligibility. I second two thirds of the season are frustrating for fans but I doubt we see the wheels come off as we did during the Tom Allen regime. Hoosiers learn a lot and break through in 2025.