Indiana coach Curt Cignetti calls it as he sees it, and his blunt assessments are usually spot on. Following the No. 6 Hoosiers' 47-15 win at Rutgers on Saturday, he said: "I think we took a step forward."
"We're close," Cignetti added.
That should send a shiver up the spine of the remaining opponents on Indiana's schedule. At 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten), the Hoosiers are beginning to round into form as they seek to defend their national title. No, Fernando Mendoza is not walking back through that door. But IU put up a season-high 593 yards without him against the Scarlet Knights.
In Cignetti's three seasons, Indiana has never finished with more yards against a Big Ten opponent or against any opponent away from home.
Quarterback Josh Hoover completed 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards with four touchdowns, while Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh each went over 100 yards receiving. The star duo of Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe Jr. bombed for 326 yards rushing as IU put forth its most complete effort of the season.
We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended the day with national championship odds of +3000 or better. No. 1 Texas (+650), No. 9 Ole Miss (+2200) and No. 15 Oregon (+2000) each had byes.
2026 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking.
No. 2 Georgia
Grade: B
Result: 38-14 win vs. Vanderbilt
Title odds: +500
Kirby Smart and Georgia fans grade their program on a championship-level rubric. We'll do the same. Georgia looked mortal in the first half, as the Bulldogs surrendered a pair of 75+ yard touchdown drives against a Vanderbilt team playing with backup quarterback Blaze Berlowitz. Outside of Bo Walker's 59-yard run, the Bulldogs struggled on the ground. With a trip to Alabama up next, Smart has some teaching material to use in practice, even after a relatively easy SEC win.
No. 3 Notre Dame
Grade: C+
Result: 37-26 win at North Carolina
Title odds: +550
North Carolina offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino found some holes in the vaunted Notre Dame defense as the Tar Heels used a couple of long touchdown drives and a 98-yard kickoff return to keep the Irish on their toes into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame's offense carried the day, however, as the Irish hummed along using a good run/pass balance on the way to a road win featuring a mix of highs and lows. It wasn't quite up to the "leave no doubt" standard of a motivated 2026 Irish team.
No. 4 Miami
Grade: B+
Result: 41-13 win at Clemson
Title odds: +800
Miami showcased its balanced offensive attack while pulling away from Clemson behind another strong showing from quarterback Darian Mensah and a steady dose of backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Javian Mallory. Defensively, the Hurricanes bowed up in critical moments as Clemson totaled just 10 points on three red zone trips. The 'Canes surrendered 295 passing yards but racked up nine tackles for loss and six sacks.
No. 5 Ohio State
Grade: A
Result: 31-14 win at Iowa
Title odds: +430
Ohio State played its most complete game of the season, persisting through an uneven start to dominate Iowa in all facets. The Julian Sayin-Jeremiah Smith connection is otherworldly, but the Buckeyes also exhibited balance with an effective run game. This defense will probably never meet last season's havoc-wreaking standard, but it didn't surrender a touchdown until quasi-garbage time in the fourth quarter.
No. 6 Indiana
Grade: A
Result: 47-15 win at Rutgers
Title odds: +1000
Indiana led 37-0 late in the third quarter before letting off the gas and allowing a couple of Rutgers touchdowns. The Hoosiers eviscerated the Scarlet Knights defense behind 204 yards rushing from Turbo Richard and 122 from Lee Beebe. Josh Hoover added four passing touchdowns as both Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh exceeded 100 yards receiving. The defense was utterly dominant until the game was out of reach.
No. 7 Alabama
Grade: A-
Result: 56-23 win at Mississippi State
Title odds: +1000
Aside from some second-quarter hiccups, Alabama played inspired offensive football as Kalen DeBoer's team improved to 5-for-5 on scoring 45+ points this season. The Crimson Tide made fewer mistakes than Mississippi State, as Keelon Russell edged Kamario Taylor in a battle of star quarterbacks. Alabama's defense gets its share of the credit, too, for neutralizing the Bulldogs' running game and keeping Taylor under constant pressure. A couple of turnovers and 10 penalties kept this from being a straight 'A.'
No. 8 Florida
Grade: F
Result: 45-17 loss at Missouri
Title odds: +3000
The prematurely anointed Gators took a merciless beating, as Missouri eliminated Florida's alleged superpower of an elite rushing attack by holding Jadan Baugh to 13 yards on 12 carries. The Tigers countered by giving the Gators a taste of their own medicine as Jamal Roberts totaled 211 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 24 carries. There was nothing redemptive about this performance, which came at the beginning of a month that also includes games against No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia.
No. 11 LSU
Grade: A-
Result: 63-14 win vs. McNeese
Title odds: +1400
LSU handled its in-state FCS brethren with no drama while piling up 731 yards, which was 13 short of a program record. The Tigers broke a school record by running 101 plays as both Harlem Berry and Stacy Gage surpassed 100 yards rushing. Three quarterbacks logged significant action. But there are no "A" grades for games against FCS opponents.
