Indiana cruised through their November games in part of one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the country. They were rarely tested but didn’t play anybody good. That all changed when the calendar turned to December and the Hoosiers took on Florida State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The Seminoles entered the game 17th in the country with just a single loss in their opening game to conference foe Pittsburgh. The Hoosiers were 7-0 but again hadn’t beaten anybody good. Even though the game was in Bloomington the Seminoles were still viewed as the favorite.