If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
Yeah, that seems like a good plan for IU football, at least for the moment.
Much has been made from the outside about Indiana’s nonconference schedule since Curt Cignetti took over as head coach. But after a 16-0 national championship season that included six top-10 wins, those complaints are falling on deaf ears.
Over the last couple year, the Hoosiers dropped games from the schedule against both Louisville and Virginia and opted to play FCS opponents instead. IU’s nonconference opponents are known for the next six years, and they’re all lower-level teams until Notre Dame in 2030. (UPDATE: Indiana’s 2030-31 home-and-home series has been cancelled)
When he was hired, Cignetti had a good case for keeping the schedule soft early in the season. After all, he was competing with SEC teams for a spot in the College Football Playoff, and until this year that league only played eight conference games and most teams played nine or less power conference opponents.
But this year and going forward, the SEC is playing nine conference games plus one mandated nonconference game against a Power Four team. The ACC and Big 12 have the same requirements, leaving the Big Ten on an island. So it’s reasonable to ask when the Big Ten will follow suit.
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti is a strong advocate for a 24-team playoff, and he says the league’s ADs and coaches want to wait until a new CFP model is finalized before they establish new scheduling guidelines.
“We’ve talked a lot about scheduling in our AD room and with our coaches about what’s coming next and what’s the right way to do things,” Petitti said. “I will tell you that our focus now is seeing clarity around the playoff and access and how that’s going to work before we make the next decision.”
There’s no doubt at least one out-of-league game against a Power Four opponent by Big Ten teams is better for college football. Those are the games the fans want to see.
Cignetti believes those marquee nonconference games will be back on the schedule in the next two to three years, in the form of scheduling rules that apply to all Power Four teams.
“We play who’s on the schedule,” Cignetti said. “I suspect down the road something will happen with scheduling, sort of standardizing scheduling. You’ve got two conferences (the Big Ten and SEC) that are head-and-shoulders sort of above the rest right now. I think there will be some standardization.”
INDIANA’S NONCONFERENCE OPPONENTS THROUGH 2030:
2026
Sept. 5 – North Texas
Sept. 12 – Howard
Sept. 19 – Western Kentucky
2027
Sept. 4 – Kennesaw State
Sept. 11 – Indiana State
Sept. 18 – UMass
2028
Sept. 2 – Austin Peay
Sept. 9 – Eastern Michigan
Sept. 16 – Miami (Ohio)
2029
Sept. 1 – Ball State
Sept. 8 – Eastern Illinois
Sept. 15 – Western Kentucky
2030
Sept. 6 – vs. Indiana State
Sept. 14 – vs. Delaware
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