Does Indiana have a chance? College GameDay analysts think so.

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock or something, College GameDay is in Bloomington for tonight’s opening game against Ohio State. The folks at ESPN were kind enough to make some of their analysts available to the local media for questions, and they didn’t disappoint. Rece Davis was the first cast member to take the stage, and he laid out some keys to tonight’s matchup.

Davis cited turnovers, Indiana’s offensive line, and Indiana’s defense as things to watch against the Buckeyes. “Can Indiana make Barrett try to beat them from the pocket, or will Ohio State be able to run effectively,” Davis asked.

Following Rece Davis was none other than former IU coach Lee Corso. Corso shared his thoughts on the Indiana football program as a whole, saying that they’ve “made a lot of progress”, but he also went into specifics.

Corso said that tonight’s game was a tremendous opportunity for the Hoosiers, claiming that Indiana’s “got a chance tonight because I think they’re gonna play better defense than people think they can.” He elaborated, going on to say that teams like Indiana have to improve defensively before they can establish a winning identity.

Corso also spoke about Indiana head coach Tom Allen, saying “I had a nice conversation with him and he’s a terrific guy. I think the team was really excited about him being named coach and I think it was a really great move to put him in there.” The analyst also said that he believed that Allen is the perfect Indiana coach and that he has the background to be great at Indiana.

On Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow Corso said, “He’s a good, quality quarterback that can hurt Ohio State with the pass, there’s no question about that.”

When asked about the key to tonight’s game, Corso had a simple answer. “Indiana’s defense,” he said, “If they can stay close to them and keep it close in the fourth quarter, you never know.”

College GameDay will start its live broadcast from inside Memorial Stadium at 6:00pm.