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Curt Cignetti's No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers are 20.5-point favorites over the Northwestern Wildcats according to FanDuel Sportsbook headed into Friday night's 8:00 pm ET kickoff at Memorial Stadium, which will be televised on FOX. 

The game has brought up colorful history between Cignetti and Wildcats coach David Braun, who recently got a contract extension to the 2031 season from ambitious athletic director Mark Jackson. 

Cignetti made a surprising revelation about NU's head coach, one that speaks to the talent and character the Wildcats boss possesses. 

Cignetti's Radio Show Admission

Cignetti said that he attempted to hire Braun while he was working as head coach of the James Madison Dukes, according to Mike Schumann of The Daily Hoosier.  

"On his radio show, IU coach Curt Cignetti says when he was at JMU, he tried to hire Northwestern coach David Braun twice," Schumann said on Thursday. 

Cignetti coached the Dukes from 2022-2023, leading them to 19 wins and four losses. Braun was hired by Northwestern in 2023 and has a 21-19 record with the Wildcats since landing in Evanston, Ill. 

Braun's tenure with the Wildcats hasn't come close to matching the 2025-26 national title winner Cignetti's yet, but he's just getting started as Northwestern moves toward a new era of football. 2026 represents Braun's best chance to take the Wildcats to the promised land of a New Year's Six bowl game, led by talented starting lineups on both sides of the ball. 

Chip Kelly, Mike Shanahan to Duel in Bloomington

Friday night will feature two brilliant offensive coordinators, Northwestern's Chip Kelly and Indiana's Mike Shanahan, going up against each other at Memorial Stadium.

Kelly's Wildcats offense has scored 34 and 41 points in its first two games while Shanahan's Hooisers offense has scored has scored 52, 55 and 38 points. Shanahan is not related to the NFL's Mike and Kyle Shanahan coaching dynasty, although he does coach for one of the most well known leaders in football, Cignetti. 

The Wildcats will feature Aidan Chiles, who completed 17-of-22 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado last week. Indiana star Josh Hoover completed 18-of-24 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns against Western Kentucky. 

Both starting quarterbacks are transfers, with Chiles coming over from Michigan State and Hoover coming over from TCU this offseason.

The game also features an exciting duel at the wide receiver position between Charlie Becker of the Hoosiers, a possible first day NFL Draft pick, and Griffin Wilde, the record-setting NU receiver who continues to improve with each passing week on campus. 

Friday looks like a great night for fans of high-scoring football games, and a chance for Braun to show why Cignetti was so adamant about adding him to his staff over four years ago. 

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