Fans react to IU and Notre Dame matchup in College Football Playoff
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a historic 11-1 season, Indiana University fans on Sunday reacted to the news the team made it to the College Football Playoff for the first time.
IU and Notre Dame are set to face off in South Bend for the first round of the playoff on Friday, Dec. 20 at 8 p.m.
“I think they have really good chance of beating Notre Dame,” said Cade Deckard, an IU fan.
“I’m a Purdue guy, but IU should be able to pull this one off,” another football fan Jeff Dorn said. “It’s an exciting time for Indiana for sure.”
IU Kelley School of Business professor Michael Leppert was also thrilled by the news. He’s looking forward to chatting with his students in Bloomington about the good news.
“They’re gonna be thrilled,” Leppert said. “The students that I have that we brief on this every Tuesday, they’re gonna be happy about this pick.”
Leppert had a few words of encouragement for the team.
“You can win this,” Lepper said. “You should plan on winning. You should expect to win, because we expect you to win. This is good. This is your game.”
On the other side, though, Chicago-native Harrison Monteith said the Hoosiers may just be keeping the seat warm.
“I think for IU, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and Notre Dame, you know, this, they’re kind of ‘been here done that,’” Monteith said.
Every fan made it clear they are excited to see two Indiana teams battle it out on the field. The winner will go on to play Georgie in the Sugar Bowl.