At the outset of the season, getting rid of the NOISE was supposed to help. When we get to the time when the whistle blows and it is your eleven against our eleven, perhaps the football world will make a little more sense or at least we can turn our eyes away from so much nonsense for a while. As we roll towards the end of the football season, glory is becoming more costly than expected. Seems football wants to make things more difficult than just football.

Lane Kiffin. Bless your heart. You got folks in Indiana wanting to know what is up with you. Sure, as you mentioned this week, your players may not be affected by this like they used to. They understand the free agency of college football you spoke of so eloquently last season. The players aren’t the ones paying you, Lane. Trust me. This looks and feels bad in Brookhaven, Oxford, Senatobia, Pelahatchie, and even Bloomington, Indiana.

Anybody out there been to Oxford, Baton Rouge, and Gainesville? I have. Take me to Oxford. The Stones said it best, Lane. You can’t always get what you want. If Lane Kiffin doesn’t choose Oxford, and I think he will as he enjoys all the attention and drama, too bad for him and many others. The SEC is the best soap opera going, since Days of Our Lives left NBC. Then in the late afternoon into darkness you have The Paul Finebaum Show. Paul is akin to the old wresting manager Jimmy Hart. He gets the SEC fanbases all riled up and leaves them to their consequences. Translation: They will be back tomorrow. Paul should be up for an Academy Award. He is that good with his large pot and large spoon that just means stir more.

This sign seems appropriate these days, doesn’t it? What we don’t know when we take a picture in 2018 will come back to haunt us.

The first time I walked into the clearing on Rosemont Avenue and saw this place my knees got weak.

I can’t imagine UCLA not playing their home games in The Rose Bowl. With the news that the team intends to move to SoFi Stadium and all of its luxury amenities for folks that can pay up, they in turn alienated the true fan base that doesn’t eat the catered food in a suite. The truest fans are out there reliving their good times and trying not to burn a steak. Too many sad and upset fans out there. This is written by a guy in Southern Indiana. I have the fall of 2028 circled on an imaginary calendar. The year I turn 60 is the year I was going to go back, and watch UCLA host the Indiana Hoosiers in The Rose Bowl Stadium.

Spending time in an empty Rose Bowl on a Thursday with a brand new turf being prepped for the USC game on Saturday was moving experience for a football fan steeped in Midwest tradition that used to land The Big Ten vs. The PAC-10 against each other on January 1st. That was THEE game of the year. Nothing compared.

I kicked two field goals (2-2) over the goalpost to the right of the press box. The end zone with the clock atop the stands. A week earlier, I was given the blessing of the Rose Bowl CEO and the Field Superintendent to bring not only a ball and a tee, but to also bring my left foot cleat and my right footed square-toed kicking shoe. When I walked onto the field with Will Schnell, the field superintendent, I saw that this was a completely new turf being prepared for the USC game. I looked at Will and said, “There is no way I am going to plant a cleat on this field before Saturday.” Will looked at me, nodded his head, and said, “I appreciate that.” He knew I got it. Will is a midwestern boy too. We shared some great memories. I kicked in my Brooks from PAT range. I had wanted to uncork one at 50 years old. I’d been practicing. Though I swore against posting this picture again, here it is.

So, I didn’t make it out to The Rose Bowl Stadium for a game this year. Tim Brando did. He was on the call for FOX SPORTS during the Nebraska-UCLA game earlier this month.

This photo will also be a source of good memory moving forward. Hope you don’t mind that I used this picture without asking, TB. Great picture of you and your crew. You guys are the best.

This was the Indiana-Washington game last year. This is the one I enjoyed the most from 2024. The last Saturday in October is always a thing a natural beauty in Southern Indiana. ESPN Gameday was there with Lee Corso. What a special day. Final score Indiana 31 Washington 17.

Seeing the Washington Huskies in Memorial Stadium as a conference opponent? Yep. True.

Only a kicker would get excited at a ball bag under the goalpost waiting for pregame. This was before this year’s last Saturday in October game. Indiana 56 UCLA 6. Good times.

Since the transfer portal era in college football started, my ability to be emotionally invested in players has mostly gone away from me. For the first time in my life, I am watching football games with what seems like movable parts. Back in the day, when Indiana signed a kid out of St. Louis, MO like QB Trent Green, or DT Nolan Harrison out of Flossmoor, IL we watched closely and we waited patiently and hoped for the best. Never in this equation was the possibility that one of these guys would sit out a bowl game and find more money in the SEC. Some things have changed faster than some of us have changed. Nowadays, when I am asked about specific position players, I can’t answer like I used to. Once upon a time, I knew every stat and mention in the media guide. I don’t trust who will be on the field from week to week anymore. I root and report about who was out there today. I still love the game. At least the game is still out there to transcend us for three and half hours at a time like we remember.

Watching Coach Cig line up with players and their families on “Senior Day” was a nice gesture. The players are still putting in the work on the field and in the weightroom. Senior Day seems like a thing of the past. Some of these guys haven’t been on campus in Bloomington long and are enjoying a great deal of online coursework. Keep scoring touchdowns number 24, whoever you are.

HOT OFF THE WIRE! Dylan Raiola, Nebraska QB, expected to enter transfer portal. See.

On a BRIGHT NOTE!

The stat you won’t hear about anywhere else. This one is telling. First Downs given up by penalty through 11 games of the 2025 season. Indiana has just 4. That is a great deal of mistake free football. Compared to their contemporaries, Indiana has the upper hand when it comes to being a well-disciplined team. That includes their general comportment when one of the players makes an exceptional play. None of the players draw attention to themselves like they are running for public office. They are still having fun!

Finally, a shout out to the Brownstown Central Braves. They will play Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium against Andrean for the Indiana Class 2-A Championship. Good luck to the Braves.

My 5th grade BCHS gym bag made it out to The Rose Bowl with me the day I kicked there. Go Braves!

Last week I picked 11 winners and 3 losers. I did not get them published. Life happens. This is saddest week of the season. The last one. It sure has gone quickly. That means through all the grief, we still love it.

This week’s picks:

Iowa beats Nebraska… In the Two Mules Fighting over a Turnip Bowl.

Ole Miss beats Mississippi State… Even with the Lane Kiffin noise.

Georgia Tech beats Georgia… This will make the CFP more interesting. Watch Tech play mistake free and make the most of a Georgia fumble or oskie!

Indiana beats Purdue… The Hoosiers 12-0 for the first time. Oh, Auntie Em, there’s no place like home.

Texas A & M beat Texas… Rooting for Arch as usual. His uncle made football in Indiana.

Arizona State beats Arizona… Great rivalry game. When Indiana finishes off Purdue, I’ll tune in here and watch and listen in on TB and Deven Gardner.

Clemson beats South Carolina… Tigers find a way to salvage something.

Kentucky beats Louisville… The Cats will be more inspired, and I hate to say that. 7-1 to 7-4 came in an ugly hurry for the Cards.

Pitt beats Miami… Gonna be cold at Pitt now.

Ohio State beats Michigan… This will set up # 1 vs # 2 in The Big Ten Championship Game.

Texas Tech beats West Virginia… As long as the Red Raiders don’t get too cold. Hey, I remember a highly ranked Southern Miss team in the early 80s coming to a COLD Louisville Cardinal Stadium, the old one, and getting whipped.

Oklahoma beats LSU… The Tigers won by a score of 13-10 over Western Kentucky last week.

USC beats UCLA… Hurts me to pick this way.

Alabama beats Auburn… The Iron Bowl. Classic game to watch.

Enjoy this last not so regular Saturday of the season.

Look familiar? Insert Ohio State, Texas A&M, Indiana, and two other SEC schools that are worthy this week or Texas Tech. If you remember these guys, you know your football. November 1979 offered some good football. November 2025 has been okay too. I will be glad when the College Football Playoffs get here. Then and only then will we find out how much hot air coming up from the south is worth.

Indiana played well against Wisconsin in the second half. The Hoosiers outgained the Badgers 229-23 in second half yardage. That was impressive. So was Fernando Mendoza’s 22-24-299-4 TD line. He makes it look easy. Final score: Indiana 31 Swissconsin 7.

This past Saturday it hit me. When Fernado Mendoza took off on a designed QB run to his left I saw it. When Mendoza was evading pass rushers and delivering with his throwing motion, I saw it again. Look, I am no friend of comparing football players. When I saw Fernando Mendoza play Saturday, I saw Heisman Trophy traits from the past in real time. Vinnie Testaverde the 1986 Heisman Trophy winner. The throwing motion. The lean when he runs. Fernando looks a great deal like Vinnie to me. Just a thought. Agreed? No? Maybe? I think so.

Before the Wisconsin game, the Indiana Hoosiers ran out of the home tunnel as a 10-0 team for the first time. That was special. The last home game. That was kind of melancholy. The season, as great as it has been for Indiana, sure has gone by quickly. This is what happens when your team wins all the games played.

Look. The Indiana Hoosiers play the game better than any other team in the country. Thank you, Coach Cignetti. Lee Corso used to talk about “DISCIPLINE!” The 2025 Hoosiers are a study in team discipline. I will offer three key stats that go a long way in deciding how a game will go.

1. How many first downs have you given your opponent due to a penalty on your team?
2. How many penalty yards are you giving up a game?
3. What is your turnover ratio?

Firsts given by penalty Penalty yards/game Turnover ratio

Indiana 4 27.8 +15

Ohio State 14 37.7 +5

Texas A&M 22 66.2 -3

Georgia 20 43.1 -2

Oregon 10 41.9 +5

Ole Miss 24 59.0 -3

Texas Tech 18 59.0 +13

Translation: You’re going to have to beat the Hoosiers. They aren’t hurting themselves comparatively. The Big Ten plays cleaner football. Indiana might go up against Ohio State in The Big Ten Championship Game and get their clock cleaned. If they do, Ohio State will have to bring it. When the Hoosiers played in Columbus last year, Indiana had some lapses that cost them the game. We’ll see what happens if these two meet again. It should be a good one.

At the end of the day, the hope for this Indiana fan is to meet an SEC team in the College Football Playoff that is not Ole Miss. I root for the Rebels. These two played in a bowl game during the Covid season. That was no fun at all. Ole Miss won. Indiana did not play clean football that night. The Rebels beat the Hoosiers 26-20 in a game Indiana never led.

What of my picks for last week that I did not put on due to some time-consuming circumstances? After going 12-2 two weeks ago, I was 9-5 last week. This past week 10 winners and 4 losers. Cincinnati, Alabama, Duke, and Iowa let me down.

In 1993 on this weekend, the Indiana Hoosiers were 7-1 heading into their first tilt with newly minted conference foe Penn State. Yep. Penn State has been in the Big Ten that long. We Are Penn State’s move from Independent to Big Ten Member was an earthquake then. Teams change conferences now without breaking stride.

The Hoosiers were 7-1 that weekend all those years ago. No one considered them to be a challenger for the National Championship. The media voted and crowned the National Champ. We were still hoping that Indiana would make it to another Bowl Game. The week before, #23 ranked Indiana knocked off a 22nd ranked Michigan State team in a packed with snow from the night before Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. The Hoosiers shutout the Spartans that day 10-0. Snowballs pelted the Michigan State sideline for much of the second half. I was sitting on the wrong side of the field that day.

The next week, the Hoosiers were playing in Beaver Stadium. The Hoosiers came in ranked #17. The Nittany Lions were ranked #19. The Hoosiers lost. Penn State 38 Indiana 31. A tough one to take.

Thomas Lewis hauled in 12 John Paci passes for 285 yards. A cold blustery day with intermittent snow was one to remember and forget. The next week the Hoosiers were defeated in The Horseshoe by a #5 ranked Ohio State team in a close one 23-17. One of oh so many close ones the Hoosiers of the Bill Mallory Era just missed. That ’93 team did make it to the Independence Bowl. They were bested by Virginia Tech in Coach Frank Beamer’s first bowl game with the Hokies. There would be many more consecutive bowl games and seasons for Coach Beamer in Blacksburg.

When the Nittany Lions came calling the next year to Indiana’s Memorial Stadium, the Hoosiers ruined Penn State’s season. Undefeated Penn State came in #2 in the country trailing only Nebraska by 2 vote points. In the 4th quarter, with 6:09 remaining after a Kijana Carter 80-yard touchdown run, Penn State led Indiana 35-14. That Penn State team was the best I have ever seen. Kerry Collins, Kijana Carter, Booby Engram, Kyle Brady all in one offensive backfield.

How did that game end? Not good for Penn State. John Paci was ineffective at QB for the Hoosiers. Off the bench came youngster Chris Dittoe in the second quarter. Dittoe finished the game 21-35 279 yards and 4 touchdowns with three of those scores tossed in the 4th quarter. The last one in the final seconds. The eye test was alive and well in 1994. A Penn State win 35-29 in a game they DOMINATED for 50 minutes was too much for them to overcome in the polls. They finished 12-0 after blowing out the Oregon Ducks in The Rose Bowl. Their final rank was #2 behind Nebraska. Were all in the Big Ten now!

So, here we are in 2025. You better believe many old Indiana Football fans will be feeling pretty good when the Indiana Hoosiers of here and now go up to Happy Valley and put one on the Nittany Lions for the first time up there in the middle of Pennsylvania Nowhere. Beautiful place. But man, it is an outpost.

Let’s get to the picks. Last week 12 winners and 2 losers. Finally broke that streak of 10-4 that went on for what seems like years.

Georgia beats Mississippi State… We know they don’t like the 11 AM kicks there. Strange things happen with these early games.

Indiana beats Penn State… Am I worried? You better believe it. Muscle memory.

SMU beats Boston College… Coach O’Brien is having a bad time of it in Chestnut Hill.

Ohio State beats Purdue… At Purdue. Does not matter.

Rutgers beats Maryland… This could be the game of the day.

Iowa beats Oregon… My head says Oregon’s speed will win out. My heart says Go Iowa! I’m a stubborn traditionalist.

Mizzou beats Texas A&M… They get this one in before the cold front makes it to Columbia. If A&M is going to stumble, it will be this week.

Vandy beats Auburn… Funny how Vandy QB Pavia is a superstar when IU’s Kurtis Rourke was on a team getting lucky last year.

Washington beasts Swissconsin… The Huskies are too much for the Badgers. Always glad to see Bucky go down.

Louisville beats Cal… Look out for the Cards. They will be in the CFP mix. RBs playing today need to stay healthy.

Virginia beats Wake Forest… Won’t be close.

Alabama beats LSU… Ya know… this could be “one of those”. I don’t see it. Tide wins rolling.

Notre Dame beats Navy… This should be a good one.

UCLA beats Nebraska… Tim Brando gets to call this one on FOX tonight and I will be with him every play. Go Bruins!

Have fun today. It’ll be brisk in these parts tomorrow. Stay warm.

It has been said that IMITATION IS THE GREATEST FORM OF FLATTERY. Indiana University, consider yourself imitated and quite flattered. You have turned college football as we know it today, for better or worse depending on whom you ask, upside down. North is South and South is farther North than it has ever college football been before and that bunch can’t stand it.

There are guys sitting around Southeastern Conference back tables checking their pockets to see how much it is going to take to hire their next coach. This is not a case of “If Indiana can do it, we can do it!” No, this is a case of “If Indiana is doing it, what the hell is wrong with us?” That is one huge reason Arkansas, LSU, Florida all here in mid-season, and there will be more in this league, are looking for their “Coach”. This is a turbulent time in college football for poor leadership. This is a turbulent time in college football for mediocre leadership.

Indiana University Football has shaken even the best of those folks who have tried to feign objectivity and can no longer do so. Paul Finebaum said this week, “I’d like to see Indiana go through the gauntlet that Alabama has gone through in the last five weeks. They wouldn’t be undefeated.”

Last year in June I wrote a very complimentary feature on Paul Finebaum. I like Paul. Understand that Paul has two flags to wave. One hand waves the SEC banner. The other holds high the ESPN banner. We have come to that. I know Paul has always been a homer. Of course he is. Had he made this assertion about last year’s Indiana Football team, my inclination would have probably been to agree with him. Not this year. Not this Indiana team. There is no doubt that more than half of the teams in the SEC have much more talented and physically gifted rosters than that of Indiana. Herb Brooks said it best. “I’m not looking for the best players; I’m looking for the best team.” To do that, you have to have the best Coach. That is where Indiana is right now. Thanks to having the best Coach, the Indiana Hoosiers play football like we remember it being played. Indiana does not make many mistakes. Indiana does not turn the ball over. Indiana sacks and sacks and the Hoosiers are rarely sacked. Indiana players get ready for the next play; they don’t act like they are running for public office when they make a great play. The secret is no secret. Indiana Football players have been exposed to a coaching philosophy that has instilled a desire to be great that will be very hard to stop. Coach Cig talks about breaking the other team’s will. His boys are going to find a way to not be on the other side of that talking point.

Will the Hoosiers lay an egg today at Maryland and make me sound like a donkey? I don’t think so. I expected Indiana to beat UCLA by 40 or more last week. 56-6 was the final. If the Hoosiers run the table and meet Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, will the Hoosiers win? I don’t know. That depends on Ohio State. How ready will they be?

Paul Finebaum would not acknowledge it, if it were true. My question, as odd as it is for me to ask. I have long rooted for SEC teams, Ole Miss in particular, and I have witnessed my share of SEC games in raucous stadiums that an Indiana Football fan could only dream of. Look, I like Indiana’s small stadium. However, when I am not in the press box, Indiana is still the most football illiterate crowd in America. The smaller the full stadium the better. I have to put in an earpiece and listen to Don Fischer’s radio call through my phone, and it is a play late, just to keep my football sanity. My question is this. Is the SEC a bit overrated this year? I don’t see a National Championship contender in the bunch. Maybe Alabama. None of the SEC teams jump off the page this year. They will get their highly ranked teams by legacy if nothing else. That is the natural order of things. Just like the natural order of things is for Paul Finebaum to bash Indiana. I want to believe Paul knows football better than that. I believe he does. He has a job to do, and Paul does it well. Thanks in large part to Paul and his daily show on the SEC Network, the SEC leads the college football landscape in one thing for sure: drama. Keep it.

Hey, I finally bested ten last week! Eleven winners and three losers. How about this week?

SMU beats Miami… Coach Lashlee signed an extension this week. Upset city in Big D.

Ohio State beats Penn State… The Buckeyes. Yuck.

Illinois beats Rutgers… If this were in Piscataway, I would pick the Knights. Iffy still.

Texas beats Vanderbilt… Vandy is trying to be to the SEC what Indiana is to The Big Ten. Enjoy it. You’re going to lose your coach soon.

Louisville beats Virginia Tech… Won’t one of these BIG PROGRAMS looking for a coach grab Jeff Brohm?

Georgia beats Florida… The Bulldogs should score 31 in the first half, if they are ready to play.

Indiana beats Maryland… This Indiana defense is like watching a painting heading to The Met be created.

Minnesota beats Michigan State… This may be one I regret.

Notre Dame beats Boston College… We won’t get the BC thriller of 1993 when David Gordon kicked a 41-yard field goal on the last play to beat the Irish.

Ole Miss beats South Carolina… The Rebs D will be tested and they will pass.

Auburn beats Kentucky… Lexington is ready for basketball season. Seems like old times.

Oklahoma beats Tennessee… The moment will break one. UT is due to break.

USC beats Nebraska… Lincoln will be rocking tonight. Lincoln Riley that is.

Cincinnati beats Utah… Brendan Sorsby is the most underrated player in America.

Enjoy the games. Thank you, Indiana Athletic Director Scott Dolson. Had you not been a student-manager for Bobby Knight at Indiana all those years ago, you would not have known why you needed to pick Coach Curt Cignetti after others had turned Coach Cig away.