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Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Football Faces Public Troll Job from In-State Foe

Indiana football currently holds the most important hardware there is, and is bringing it to Notre Dame's hometown
Nick Shepkowski|
Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamier Johnson (9) and defensive back Terry Jones Jr. (12) tackle Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) during the first half of a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend.
Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamier Johnson (9) and defensive back Terry Jones Jr. (12) tackle Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) during the first half of a game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting IrishIndiana Hoosiers

Notre Dame and Indiana may not be traditional rivals in football, but when two teams hail from the same state and are both football powers, at least some form of rivalry can't help but form.

The two met in the 2024 College Football Playoff, as Notre Dame beat Indiana en-route to a National Championship game appearance.

A year later, the two-loss Fighting Irish didn't make the College Football Playoff, while Indiana put together a season for the record books, winning it all after a 16-0 campaign that saw the program go from outhouse to penthouse of the college football world.

Indiana Plans Championship Trophy Tour, Includes South Bend

The national championship trophy that Indiana won when it beat Miami in this past January's National Championship game will be making a tour of the great state of Indiana.

On April 2, that tour will make a stop in South Bend, at Indiana University's campus.

Nick Shepkowski's Takeaway

How does the old saying go?

Something about "If you don't want them to dance then keep them out of the end zone" or something along those lines.

Indiana won the national championship, and it's an all-time story in college sports. You have a team that hasn't won anything of significance ever (no disrespect to Lee Corso and the 1979 Holiday Bowl), and it goes two years under Curt Cignetti, winning not only the Big Ten but also the national championship.

It's an awesome story, I don't know what else to say? Cignetti is a force of a head coach, seems like a man possessed, and as long as he's at Indiana, the Hoosiers are going to be a major player on the national stage.

That's not bowing down and kissing the ring by any means; it's just fact. Instead of Notre Dame having just the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State on its mind nationally from the Big Ten, Indiana has announced itself with complete clarity.

Hoosiers fans are excited, and who can blame them?

It'd be like if Notre Dame ever won a national championship in men's basketball. The state of things aren't all that far from what Indiana football was a few short years ago, so I mean this sincerely:

Good for them. Enjoy the daylights out of it. That's what you're supposed to do with championships.

Oh, and one more thing:

Kyle Schwarber really is the perfect representative of Indiana Hoosiers football fans, everywhere.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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