Zach Osterman and Mike Niziolek pick apart the key matchups, players and potential x-factors in IU football's first-round College Football Playoff game at Notre Dame on Friday night. Will Kurtis Rourke be able to open up Indiana's passing attack and hurt the Irish? Can IU corral Riley Leonard and Notre Dame's ground game? What's the mood in both fan bases going in? And who will win?

Chapters

0:00 -- Intro

1:45 -- Early thoughts on IU and Notre Dame

3:31 -- Strength-on-strength matchups both ways

5:34 -- Notre Dame against the pass

8:27 -- Teams limited mistakes

11:25 -- IU's lessons from Ohio State loss

18:57 -- Individual matchups to watch

25:29 -- The importance of Indiana's ground game

32:48 -- Ball security

36:35 -- Hoosier linebackers against Leonard, plus predictions

Mike Berardino, Notre Dame football beat writer for the USA Today Network, joins IU Insider Zach Osterman to discuss Friday's College Football Playoff matchup from the Notre Dame perspective. Where do the Irish hold potential advantages on Indiana? Where in the matchups might this game be decided? And which players will be key to the outcome?

Mike Niziolek and Zach Osterman recap the Hoosiers' 15-point win Monday night in their Big Ten opener against Minnesota, a game that saw five IU players score in double figures.

Mike Niziolek and Zach Osterman take their first swings at the matchup and storylines in Indiana's College Football Playoff opener at Notre Dame on Friday, Dec. 20. Niziolek and Osterman break down the two teams, discuss the wider bracket and consider this season's larger implications.

Mike Niziolek and Zach Osterman dive into a host of pressing topics surrounding Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers, including the looming and important portal window, staffing losses and retentions, and, of course, the Hoosiers' potential path in the College Football Playoff.

Chapters:

0:00 -- Intro

1:17 -- Tino Sunseri to UCLA

9:05 -- Rest of staff retained

19:57 -- Early look at IU in the portal

37:35 -- Who can develop from current roster

48:29 -- IU's future at running back

50:41 -- IU's future at wide receiver

53:05 -- Impact of 2024 high school class

59:20 -- CFP discussion

Mike Niziolek and Zach Osterman recap what we learned from the Hoosiers' 26-point win, marked by Luke Goode's shooting and excellent overall bench production, Tuesday night in IU's return from The Bahamas.

Zach Osterman and Mike Niziolek break down No. 10 Indiana's 66-0 victory over Purdue, a rivalry series win that by any number of measures was perhaps IU's most dominant ever in an Old Oaken Bucket game.

Mike Niziolek and Zach Osterman recap the good, bad and (plenty of) ugly in No. 5 Indiana's 38-15 loss at No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers' first defeat of the season and a loss that will put a dent in their Playoff resume.

Mike Niziolek and Zach Osterman recap the Hoosiers' laborious win Thursday night against a UNC Greensboro team Mike Woodson said postgame outworked and outhustled Indiana. Myles Rice led all scorers with 20 points.

Zach Osterman and Mike Niziolek take a deep dive into the narratives and matchups that could define Indiana's visit to Ohio State this weekend, in the first top-five matchup in the regular season in IU football history.