Indiana has one of the more balanced offenses and overall teams this season. A passing attack ranked 10th and a rushing offense ranked 32nd, whose carries are divided by committee. The Hoosiers total defense is ranked 6th nationally.
Of course, these higher productivity rankings take advantage of Indiana’s lighter strength of schedule. The 5 FBS teams they’ve played have a combined record of 12-19. And Indiana’s 3 convincing conference wins are over bottom feeders (UCLA, MD, NW) with a combined B1G record of 1-9.
5-1 Nebraska will clearly be the best competition Indiana has faced.
Given Indiana’s total team balance, what I will find worth watching for is whether one function of the offense or roster can carry the Hoosiers if needed going forward against the more difficult 2nd half of their schedule. For example, if Nebraska shuts down the run can Indiana’s passing game make up for it? Or if the offense goes in the tank can the defense keep it close? Indiana has not yet been challanged this way.
