Talking Hoosier football with Big 10 Insider Brendan Moore

Indiana wrapped up their 2024 regular season with a win over in-state rival Purdue to take the Hoosiers to 11-1 for the year. Their third-place finish ranks 2024 as one of the best seasons in school history, paving a path to a potential National Championship.

I discussed Indiana football and its future, I spoke with Big 10 insider Brendan Moore about the program. Along with covering the conference, he covers Michigan State athletics for Spartans Rivals and watched the Hoosiers in person during their 47-10 victory in East Lancing.

Vierra: Thank you for joining us Brendan, let's begin with the programs we both cover. Both Indiana and Michigan State had first year HCs with both men having different results for their respective universities. What were some of the factors that played a role in their different results?

Moore: Curt Cignetti went all in on bringing in experienced players from the transfer portal. That has worked out for him and then some. Jonathan Smith took a bit of a different approach. He didn’t bring in as many experienced guys from the transfer portal. We’ll see how each does in the long term.

Vierra: Despite their loss to Ohio State, has Indiana done enough to make the CFP?

Moore: While I don’t think Indiana is a national title contender, I do think the Hoosiers have done enough to make the playoff partly because of all the chaos we’ve seen in the SEC recently. If the SEC wasn’t as chaotic, Indiana could be on the bubble, but the Hoosiers should be comfortably in with an 11-1 record.

Vierra: With Curt Cignetti under contract for the rest of the decade, how will Indiana perform over the next 5 years?

Moore: That is hard to predict, but I don’t doubt Cignetti. He knows how to win and he’s doing a decent job recruiting high school talent. However, Indiana is the type of place that will rely on the transfer portal more so than other places, which will produce more skewed results. I wouldn’t be shocked if Cignetti has some really good years, but also some bad years.

Vierra: If Indiana misses the playoffs but a 3-loss SEC team gets in, would that set a dangerous precedent for selections in the future?

Moore: That would set a precedent that strength of schedule really, really matters. Indiana does not have a strong schedule. A lot of those 3-loss SEC teams have a strong a schedule and have more quality wins. I don’t think a 3-loss SEC team would get in over Indiana, but if one does that would mean that the committee really values strength of schedule.

Vierra: Could we see a shift in popularity between football and basketball in the future if Indiana continues to have success in football?

Moore: We’ve already seen it a bit this season. Indiana football is selling out its stadium just like basketball does. I don’t think Indiana basketball losing popularity has much to do with Indiana football. That probably has more to do with Indiana basketball not living up to its own expectations.

We'd like to thank Brendan Moore again for his time and insight. Find and read his work at Spartans Rivals.com.