Ann Arbor — Back in December after taking the Indiana head coaching job, Curt Cignetti boldly went where no Hoosiers football coach had gone. Cignetti, speaking to fans at Assembly Hall, played to his audience by first mentioning Indiana’s in-state rival. Then he took it another step.

Notre Dame is 7-1 and in the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff picture heading into what was supposed to be a blockbuster game against Florida State. Alas, it’s a mangy mutt of a matchup because the Seminoles have turned out to be — at 1-8 — the most underachieving team ever to bumble about the earth.

That’s because Indiana is rolling, ranked No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and the Hoosiers have been clowning every team in its path not too dissimilar from how Michigan has the past three seasons. Thus, the 5-4, unranked Wolverines have an uphill climb in this tough battle.