When people think of the Indiana Hoosiers, they usually do not think of college football, but head coach Curt Cignetti is trying to change that after the program’s first 6-0 start since 1967. However, Joel Klatt believed Hoosiers should be on upset alert in Week 8.
No. 16 Indiana takes on Nebraska in Bloomington this weekend, and ESPN BET has the Hoosiers favored by six and a half points.
Many of Indiana’s transfer commits followed Cignetti from James Madison, with players like running back Kaelon Black, linebacker Aidan Fisher, receiver Elijah Sarratt, tight end Zach Horton, and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds coming over from the Dukes. As a whole, Indiana had 27 players transfer into the program this offseason, and 13 of them came from James Madison.
Nebraska is in year two under head coach Matt Rhule after missing a game bowl game in 2023. The gem of Nebraska’s 2024 recruiting class was five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Through six games, the one thing that set him apart from Nebraska quarterbacks last season was limiting turnovers. Cornhusker quarterbacks combined for 16 interceptions last season, and Raiola only has three interceptions so far. Raiola heads into Week 8 with 1,358 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
On a recent episode of “The Joel Klatt Show,” Joel Klatt put Indiana on upset alert and believed Raiola’s ability to limit turnovers gave Nebraska the edge in the matchup.
“Last year, they could not get out of their own way, specifically at the quarterback position,” Klatt said. “If you’re a Nebraska fan, you know exactly what I’m talking about. All those one-score losses, and in every one of those games, they were turning the football over, and now they’re not. Only three turnovers from Raiola on the year. …Matt Rhule’s team comes in at 5-1. They’re just outside the top 25, and a win on Saturday would make them 6-1 going to Columbus next week.”
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