College Football Playoff preview: Notre Dame hosts Indiana in first-round matchup

Now that all the handwringing over who did or did not make the 12-team College Football Playoff field is behind us, let’s focus on the positives. More teams make for more meaningful games in the postseason, and you won’t find a juicier pairing than the Friday night Hoosier State showdown that will kick off the first round.

At its most basic level, Notre Dame and Indiana will be battling for the right to take on second-seeded Georgia in the quarterfinal round at the Sugar Bowl. But there’s so much more to this dream matchup as the long-time football powerhouse with a well-established national identity hosts the school better known for its basketball prowess that has already set a season record for wins on the gridiron.

Oh, and this is also for the mythical state championship, as both teams coincidentally were able to vent their frustrations from their respective lone losses of the campaign on poor Purdue. History won’t be relevant once this year’s versions of the teams actually take the field, of course, so here’s how they stack up.

When Notre Dame has the ball

The Fighting Irish have a balanced attack, supplementing the nation’s 10th most productive ground game averaging 224.8 yards with another 196.4 per game by air. The catalyst is QB Riley Leonard, who accounts for 234.4 yards of total offense per outing on his own along with 30 total touchdowns. RB Jeremiyah Love is a major weapon in both the run and pass game with 1,145 total yards from scrimmage. The Hoosiers, however, rank second nationally in total defense, surrendering just 244.8 yards a game. Names to know among the Indiana stoppers include rush end Mikail Kamara, linebacker Aiden Fisher and safety Amare Ferrell.

When Indiana has the ball

The Hoosiers move the ball primarily by air. Triggerman Kurtis Rourke has amassed 2,827 passing yards on the season with 27 scoring throws and just four picks. His primary target is Elijah Sarratt, averaging over 18 yards per reception, but four other pass catchers have over 300 receiving yards. The running game can’t be ignored, however, contributing 173.6 yards per contest led by the tandem of Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton. They can expect frequent encounters with Notre Dame LBs Jack Kiser and Drayk Bowen. The Fighting Irish pass rush generates just 2½ sacks a game, but Xavier Watts has five interceptions to lead an active secondary.

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The coaches: Marcus Freeman and Curt Cignetti

Marcus Freeman is in his third full season helming the Notre Dame program. The school's former defensive coordinator assumed the reins prior to the 2021 Fiesta Bowl upon Brian Kelly’s departure to LSU. He enters his first playoff appearance as a head coach with a 30-9 overall record. Curt Cignetti has been in Bloomington for just a year, but he has a lengthy history of coaching success. After leading Indiana University of Pennsylvania to three NCAA Division II playoff appearances, he undertook other program reclamations at Elon and James Madison, helping to usher the latter’s transition to the FBS level. His head coaching record over all of his stints is 130-36.

Prediction

Notre Dame’s flat performance against Northern Illinois in Week 2 now seems like a lifetime ago. The Fighting Irish have had just one somewhat close call since then, so it’s fair to wonder how they’ll handle a tense game-ending sequence. The Hoosiers could only hang with Ohio State for about a quarter-and-a-half, though they did manage to stave off that same Michigan team that made the Buckeyes miserable a few weeks later. We’ll take the Irish on their home field, but this should be a fun ride.

Notre Dame 28, Indiana 20

This article was updated to add a new video.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Football Playoff first round: Notre Dame, Indiana face off