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    Tuesday, September 23

    “I was dead wrong about Indiana” — national pundits rethinking the Hoosiers

    TDH StaffBy IU Football 5 Comments
    Photo by Seth Tow for TDH

    The question was raised ad nauseum throughout the offseason:  Who is this year’s Indiana?

    Why not Indiana?

    With a 63-10 win over former No. 9 Illinois, IU has put themselves back in the national conversation for the College Football Playoff, and their quarterback Fernando Mendoza is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy.

    And some of their biggest skeptics are finally waking up to this possibility:  Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers just might be here to stay.

    And how could you doubt that at this point?

    In front of the second-largest crowd in program history (56,088), Indiana’s 63 points marked the most scored by a Big Ten team against an AP Top-10 opponent. And the 53-point margin of victory is the largest by a team outside the AP top-10 against an AP top-10 team — EVER.

    Since their CFP loss at Notre Dame last December, IU has been the constant subject of national skepticism, and at times even derision.

    But their performance on Saturday on a national stage against a top-10 team has the national pundits rethinking the Hoosiers.

    Here’s a sampling:

    ESPN’s KIRK HERBSTREIT AND JOEY GALLOWAY

    FOX’s JOEL KLATT

    “What we saw Saturday night in Bloomington was ridiculous,” Klatt said. … “I thought Illinois would win this game and man, was I wrong. And I will be the first to raise my hand and tell you when I get something wrong. I was dead wrong about Indiana. I did not think that they could be better than they were a year ago. They are. They are.”

    ESPN’S PAT McAFEE

    “I thought it was going to be a tough game for Illinois, didn’t expect that.”

    (McAfee picked Indiana to beat Illinois on ESPN College Gameday)

    ESPN’S DAN WETZEL

    “What if Indiana actually employs the best coach, or at least the best for its situation, in college football? What if last season’s playoff run wasn’t some feel-good tale, but rather the start of bigger and bigger and bigger?”

    ESPN’S GREG McELROY

    “Indiana might be a national championship contender. Just let that soak in for a moment,” McElroy said.

    “Indiana is not a historical blue blood, not a team naturally in this conversation on an annual basis. I get all that. Even for me, it’s hard to come to this conclusion. I’ve seen Indiana lose a lot of games in my time as an analyst and as a fan of college football. But I’m telling you, this group feels different. They just dominated an Illinois team that I have some respect for.”

    ESPN’S RECE DAVIS:

    CBS SPORTS’ TOM FORNELLI:

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