Indiana University lost to Notre Dame in a historic college football playoff game on Friday night, a turning point for the Hoosier State faithful. Marcus Freeman spent his first two seasons as Notre Dame’s coach chasing his dream of making the playoffs. After closing the regular season on a 10-game winning streak and having two weeks to prepare for the most meaningful postseason game of his career, Freeman is finally ready to lead the No. 1-ranked Fighting Irish. seven against 10th-ranked Indiana on Friday. “We’ve been in the playoffs since Week 3,” Freeman said, alluding to his finals hopes after a shocking loss to Northern Illinois. “Every game we play is a version of a playoff game in our minds. We have to continue to understand that you don’t have any more pressure than the previous 10 games.”

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Notre Dame hasn’t played in a national championship since 1988, the longest title drought since the school’s first championship in 1924. And unlike previous playoffs Here, the Irish played the first game on campus in College Football Playoff history. This was the first time Notre Dame hosted a postseason game, the first time Notre Dame Stadium hosted a Friday night game and the first time since 1990 that a home game of Notre Dame is not televised by NBC. Associated Press Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti engineered an eight-game comeback in his first season with the Hoosiers, setting a new school record for wins in a season while only One tie-break shy of winning its first Big Ten championship since 1967. The Hoosiers have scored 43.3 points, the most of any playoff team, and also have one of the FBS’s tightest defenses. And even though Indiana failed in its only test against a ranked opponent, the Hoosiers believe that defeat will help them do what most still believe is impossible – reach the Sugar Bowl to enter the quarterfinals against No. 2 seed Georgia.

A key advantage postseason experience didn’t materialize Friday night. Cignetti and many of his assistant coaches have worked together on FCS and Division II playoff teams, and Cignetti also has a national championship ring from his days as the Alabama coach’s recruiting coordinator Nick Saban.