Indiana coach Curt Cignetti calls it as he sees it, and his blunt assessments are usually spot on. Following the No. 6 Hoosiers' 47-15 win at Rutgers on Saturday, he said: "I think we took a step forward." That should send a shiver up the spine of the remaining opponents on Indiana's schedule. At 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten), the Hoosiers are beginning to round into form as they seek to defend their national title.
No, Fernando Mendoza is not walking back through that door. But IU put up a season-high 593 yards without him against the Scarlet Knights. In Cignetti's three seasons, Indiana has never finished with more yards against a Big Ten opponent or against any opponent away from home.
Quarterback Josh Hoover completed 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards with four touchdowns, while Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh each went over 100 yards receiving. The star duo of Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. bombed for 326 yards rushing as IU put forth its most complete effort of the season. We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +3000 or better.
No. 1 Texas (+650), No. 9 Ole Miss (+2200) and No. 15 Oregon (+2000) each had byes. 2026 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking. Grade: B Result: 38-14 win vs.
Vanderbilt Title odds: +500Kirby Smart and Georgia fans grade their program on a championship-level rubric. Georgia looked mortal in the first half, as the Bulldogs surrendered a pair of 75+ yard touchdown drives against a Vanderbilt team playing with backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz. Outside of Bo Walker's 59-yard run, the Bulldogs struggled on the ground.
With a trip to Alabama up next, Smart has some teaching material to use in practice, even after a relatively easy SEC win. Grade: C+ Result: 37-26 win at North Carolina Title odds: +550North Carolina offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino found some holes in the vaunted Notre Dame defense as the Tar Heels used a couple of long touchdown drives and a 98-yard kickoff return to keep the Irish on their toes into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame's offense carried the day, however, as the Irish hummed along using a good run/pass balance on the way to a road win featuring a mix of highs and lows.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
