Indiana routes Purdue on its way to the College Football Playoff in season finale

The sweet smell of the bitter cold perfumed field of dreams within the conference known as the Big 10 when news broke that underdog Michigan had upset their hated rivals Ohio State in Columbus. A place recently visited by the Indiana Hoosiers, many doubted IU's playoff credibility after a loss to the Buckeyes but such an egregious defeat was met with mercy when Ohio State picked up their second loss of the season.

Such a result meant that Indiana could finish the regular season with the best record in college football if they won against 1-10 Purdue and Oregon lost to Washington. Ohio State's loss also opened a path to the Big 10 title game against said Ducks if Penn State lost to Maryland.

Well Oregon won and Maryland was blown out by Penn State but the opportunity for Bloomington to host a college football game loomed large. And with the belief in what has been an incredible season, the football gods turned Memorial Stadium into a heavenly football wonderland. And on it's field laid a challenge. For the final twelve, win and in, and that's what the Hoosiers did.

Purdue posed no threat to the Hoosiers. The 1-10 Boilermakers were with a lame-duck coach, the worst record in college football, and on the road. An interior rushing attack and an exterior spread and shred passing attack put up 582 yards of total offense on Ryan Walter's defeated Purdue defense.

The offense didn't fare much better. Despite a career day from QB Hudson Card last week against Michigan State, Indiana made sure he and his teammates felt the snow. They held Purdue to 67 yards of total offense for the game, averaging a remarkable 1.5 yards given up per play.

So focused was Curt Cignetti on winning without a doubt in order to boost Indiana's resume, he ran a fake punt while up 38-0. Even if he didn't, Kurtis Rourke would've continued the blowout. He looked like a man at ease, flowing easily from the pocket, passing with effortless efficiency. He passed for 349 yards and six touchdowns.

With Ohio State's loss, Indiana sits at third in Big 10 rankings. Miami's loss took them to two losses on the season, leaving Indiana tied with noisy neighbor Notre Dame for teams with one loss. Indiana is making the playoffs, depending on the results of conference championship weekend, Indiana could be hosting a playoff game.

It's a very exciting time to be a Hoosier.