IU and Notre Dame collide in CFP
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Friday is game day in South Bend. Photos: Ian Johnson/Getty Images and Rich Graessle/Getty Images
It's win or go home for Indiana's top two college football teams of 2024.
The big picture: The Friday night showdown between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 10 Indiana University to kick off this year's College Football Playoffs is also the hottest ticket of the postseason.
Why it matters: The winner will keep their season alive and play No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day at 8:45pm.
What they're saying: When discussing the game, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman showed respect to the Hoosiers but stressed that his team's approach — which has brought them success all season — must remain consistent.
- "You can tell they're coached well. They play, as I often say, with the clarity that you look for when you watch film," said Freeman, who was announced as a semifinalist for the 2024 George Munger College Coach of the Year Award on Wednesday.
- IU head coach Curt Cignetti, the newly named Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year, said the additional preparation time provided by the CFP schedule is nice, but what matters most is being better on every play.
- "I think the extra prep time is an advantage for both sides to learn their opponent, but sometimes you can have too much information," he said. "At the end of the day, it comes down to blocking, tackling, gap control, winning the line of scrimmage and the fundamentals of football."
State of play: Oddsmakers are picking Notre Dame as the favorite by 7 points.
- The over/under is 51 points.
Flashback: The record between Notre Dame and IU is 23-5-1 in favor of the Irish.
- The Hoosiers have lost the last six games.
- Their most recent match was more than 30 years ago. Notre Dame beat IU 49-21 on Sept. 7, 1991.
💠Lindsey's thought bubble: Yes, historically, Notre Dame is by far the better football school, but if there was ever a year for the Hoosiers to beat the Fighting Irish, it's this year. We were robbed of a chance in the Big Ten Championship game, but we will not be robbed of the Sugar Bowl. Go Hoosiers!
💠Arika's thought bubble: It's been exciting to watch IU's Cinderella season, but even Cinderella's coach turned back into a pumpkin. The Irish haven't had a misstep since Week 2, and I think they're going to keeping rolling right over those candy stripes. Go Irish!
What's next: Kickoff is 8pm Friday.
How to watch: ABC/ESPN
How to listen: Local radio coverage via WIBC 93.1 FM.
Go deeper: Notre Dame football on full display in new Peacock docuseries