In-state foes Indiana and Notre Dame meet for the first time in over 30 years to usher in the 12-team CFP era
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History will be made on Friday as No. 7 seed Notre Dame hosts No. 10 seed Indiana to kick off the 12-team College Football Playoff era in South Bend, Indiana. Though both schools are located in the state of Indiana and are separated by around 200 miles, this will be the first meeting between in-state foes since 1991 and just the 30th all-time.
This is also the first BCS/New Year’s Six/College Football Playoff game between in-state opponents since Florida State and Miami faced off in the 2004 Orange Bowl. Not only is the first time that Indiana and Notre Dame have played in over 30 years, it’s just the second time since 1959.
Notre Dame won 49-27 in 1991 and owns a 23-4-1 record in the all-time series. Indiana hasn’t won in South Bend since 1898, the first time the Hoosiers and the Fighting Irish met on the gridiron.
It’s a big spot for Indiana to rewrite history as the Hoosiers enjoy their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. They comfortably made the field as an at-large team after finishing the year with an 11-1 record, an especially impressive feat when you consider that Indiana won nine games total from 2021-23.
Notre Dame is making its third College Football Playoff appearance but its first under coach Marcus Freeman. The Irish have steadily improved each year under Freeman and reached new heights for his tenure in 2024 with 11 wins of their own.
Notre Dame vs. Indiana: Need to know
Two dominant teams: Indiana and Notre Dame have been two of the most dominant teams in college football this season. The Hoosiers currently rank first in the FBS in points per game differential at plus-28.7, while Notre Dame isn’t too far behind in second place at plus-26.3. Indiana boasts the largest year-over-year increase in PPG differential (up 36.5 points from 2023) in FBS history. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has its largest PPG differential in any season since it outscored its opponents by an average of 26.5 points in 1973.
Indiana in a tough spot: Indiana has had a truly special season, and it’s impressive that the Hoosiers won 11 games in their first season under coach Curt Cignetti when considering the program’s struggles in recent years. Indiana still has yet to truly get over the hump, though, as the Hoosiers are riding a 13-game losing streak to ranked opponents. That includes a 38-15 loss to Ohio State, their only game against a top-25 opponent in 2024. Narrow the field to top-five opponents and Indiana’s struggles are magnified.
The Hoosiers are 1-71 all-time versus AP top-five opponents with their only win coming in 1967 against No. 3 Purdue. Their current 45-game losing streak against top-five opponents is the third-longest streak by any team all-time. Now Indiana has to face a Notre Dame team that has won its last six games against ranked opponents, the longest active FBS streak.
Something’s got to give: Notre Dame and Indiana are two of the most complete teams in college football. Both rank top six nationally in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Fighting Irish are putting 39.8 points on the board per game (second in FBS) while allowing just 13.6 points per game (third). Indiana boasts a whopping 43.3 points per game while holding opponents to just 14.7 ppg. Indiana has scored at least 30 points in 10 of its 12 games this year; Notre Dame only allowed one regular-season opponent to eclipse that mark. This has all the makings of a boxing match with each team taking some time to figure the other out.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Indiana live
Date: Friday, Dec. 20 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Notre Dame Stadium — South Bend, Indiana
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Notre Dame vs. Indiana prediction, picks
In spite of the fact that Friday’s game features two of the most explosive offenses in college football, Notre Dame and Indiana could be locked into a slugfest — early on, at least. On paper, the two are very similar, and it could take some time to figure each other out. Though Indiana didn’t show well in its one game against a ranked opponent this season, Notre Dame is vulnerable. It was a while ago, but this is the same Irish team that lost to Northern Illinois, after all. It will be tough for Indiana to walk out of South Bend with a win, but I expect the Hoosiers to keep it close. Pick: Indiana +7.5
SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for 10 outright upsets during college football’s bowl and playoff season. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates every matchup 10,000 times.
