We kick off the 2024 College Football Playoff Friday night, as Notre Dame hosts in-state foe Indiana in South Bend. As good as Indiana is, and they're solid, this is less a play in favor of them and more of a play against the Fighting Irish.

One can argue Notre Dame's season peaked early, with a win over then-No. 20 Texas A+M. They then suffered a brutal loss to Northern Illinois and had to rebuild from there. To their credit, the Fighting Irish did that, winning 10 straight games, but I don't think they beat much during that stretch.

Indiana might be the best team they've played to date. The Hoosiers misfired two weeks ago against Ohio State, but the Buckeyes represented a less-than-ideal matchup. OSU's elite receivers got open all day, and Will Howard shredded Indiana for 22 completions on 26 attempts. Notre Dame depends much more on the run, and Indiana's yielded just 2.5 yards per carry this season.

The Fighting Irish might win Friday night. However, 7.5 seems like too many points. Give me the Hoosiers to cover.