An Indiana Hoosiers football team that dominated Big Ten competition for most of the season came crashing back down to earth with a 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in Game 1 of the College Football Playoff. The loss was nowhere near as small as the result suggests. The Fighting Irish held a 27-3 lead over the Hoosiers until Indiana scored two touchdowns and converted an onside kick in the final two minutes of the game.

As the fourth quarter of the game came to a close, criticism of Indiana’s inclusion in the CFP grew, particularly that Indiana adopted the new 12-team format over teams like Alabama, Ole Miss and Miami.

Former Super Bowl winner Rob Gronkowski was among those who believed Indiana shouldn’t have made the CFP, citing the simple strength of the schedule.

“Indiana should never have been in the playoffs,” Gronkowski wrote on Notre Dame is simply a better Indiana.

A team that finished the regular season second in the FBS in scoring and second in total yards allowed per game looked unhappy against Notre Dame. After Kurtis Rourke threw an interception in the red zone on its first drive of the game and Notre Dame capitalized with a 98-yard rushing touchdown, Indiana’s offense couldn’t muster anything for most of the game. The team, which defeated 10 of its 12 regular-season opponents by at least two points, only managed two points in the final minutes of the game. The program, in which Curt Cignetti made bold statements before the game, led to their coach switching to conservative play instructions as the game increasingly spiraled out of control.

Although Indiana finished the regular season 11-1 and appeared to be dominant behind a confident Cignetti, they did not defeat a single team ranked in the AP Top 25 by the end of the season. Their only game against a ranked opponent came against Ohio State, which they defeated 38-15. When Indiana had to face a top team this season, they ultimately became a shell of their former selves.