Both Notre Dame and Indiana have navigated the trials and tribulations of a season to reach this point, facing off in a first round College Football Playoff contest Friday at Notre Dame Stadium (8 p.m., ESPN/ABC).
The No. 7 Fighting Irish (11-1) overcame a week two stumble against the MAC's Northern Illinois, winning its final 10 games to secure one of the 12 spots in the CFP field.
Indiana also had a 10-game winning streak of its own this season, claiming victories in its first 10 contests before a road loss to then-No. 2 Ohio State. The Hoosiers rebounded with a 66-0 drubbing of rival Purdue to solidify its postseason standing.
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Plenty of players and coaches have been instrumental getting both the Fighting Irish and Hoosiers to get to this point. Who will make the biggest impact Friday night, though? We asked Gannett's Notre Dame and Indiana football reporters -- Mike Berardino, Tom Noie and Austin Hough of the South Bend Tribune, Zach Osterman of the IndyStar and Michael Niziolek of The Herald-Times in Bloomington -- that question. As expected, their answers varied.
Mike Berardino: With temperatures expected to drop into the mid- to low-20s by Friday's 8 p.m., kickoff, visible breath and frozen extremities should make for a miserable playing experience. Quarterback Kurtis Rourke and Indiana's high-flying passing attack might not have much of a chance if the football is as slick as that forecast would suggest.
Notre Dame, conversely, would be more than happy to pound the rock 50 or 60 times behind its big burlies on the offensive line. And while Indiana does lead the nation in rushing defense at 71 yards per game, have you seen teams try to tackle Jeremiyah Love this year? Even in balmy climes, that's been a nearly impossible task.
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Tom Noie: Let's zag here and go with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Walking off the Los Angeles Coliseum field on November 30, Golden breathed a massive sigh of relief (and even smiled) after the 49-35 victory over USC. Sometime later that night on the charter flight home, he likely thought to himself, and to his staff, Damn, we're better than that after USC torched Golden's defense for 557 yards and those 35 points, both season highs allowed by the Irish.
Expect Golden to cook up plenty that Indiana and quarterback Kurtis Rourke will have to deal with.
Postseason is about defense, and you can bet Golden and the Irish cannot wait to show they're better than they were in L.A. Rourke and that Indiana offense is good, but they've likely never seen some of the stuff they might see Friday.
Austin Hough: Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray, one way or the other.
We saw it in the USC game, with the Trojans constantly targeting Gray on pass plays downfield. The sophomore looked shaky for most of the evening, but then effectively ended the game with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Which part of that USC performance is going to carry over for Gray, the bad or the good? Expect Indiana and quarterback Kurtis Rourke to figure that out early and often Friday night.
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Zach Osterman: Indiana's linebackers, Jailin Walker and Aiden Fisher.
Notre Dame's run game against Indiana's run defense is strength on strength in a big way, but IU hasn't seen a quarterback like Riley Leonard. This will be a game of toughness at the line of scrimmage but also of discipline reading the game behind it. Walker and Fisher will need to keep the Irish from getting their explosive backs open space, and simultaneously control Leonard's rushing ability. A good game from that pair Friday night bodes well for the Hoosiers.
Michael Niziolek: I think it will be Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara, who led the FBS in quarterback pressures this season.
The Hoosiers create a lot of havoc up front and Kamara is the driving force for that. The team has looked unbeatable in games where they regularly get to the quarterback. Want proof? Just ask Michigan quarterback Davis Warren or Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles. They were both pressured on more than 55% of their drop backs in losses to Indiana.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard won't be easy to bring down given his mobility, but making him uncomfortable in the pocket and forcing him into some bad decisions will help IU pull off an upset.