BLOOMINGTON, Indiana – In December 2023, in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti spoke the words that shook the Big Ten and ignited the Indiana faithful.

“Purdue sucks. But so do Michigan and Ohio State,” Cignetti exclaimed to an Indiana basketball crowd.

Note that Cignetti didn’t say “Penn State sucks” or “Illinois sucks.” In his “sucks” triumvirate, Cignetti chose the in-state rival and the two schools that have most defined the success of Big Ten football throughout its long history.

Whether fans of other Big Ten schools like it or not, the Big Two of the Big Ten still carry a lot of weight symbolically, and more often than not, in reality as national contenders.

As much as it pains some to admit it, Michigan and Ohio State set the standard to which other Big Ten football programs are compared, and no one else is particularly close.

The Buckeyes and Wolverines have combined for 84 shared Big Ten football championships (Michigan 43, Ohio State 39) and 43 outright championships (Ohio State 24, Michigan 19) between them.

If you’re a fan of any of the other schools, you can say that with gritted teeth. But there is nothing more to say to demonstrate their historic dominance over the Big Ten.

This season, Ohio State has maintained its Big Ten status, ranking in the top 5 in both the media poll and the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday.

Michigan, the defending national champions, has slipped from its perch and is not acting like one of the Big Two.

Right now, undefeated Indiana (9-0, 6-0) is three games ahead of Michigan (5-4, 3-3) in the Big Ten standings. Since World War II, Indiana has only finished three games ahead of Michigan in 1958, 1967 and 2020.

This is heady stuff for Hoosiers. It’s a hated term, but it’s one of the traditional Little Eight giving back to one of the Big Two.

Indiana’s undefeated streak has filled Hoosiers fans with justified big dreams. How about winning the Big Ten? How about making the Big Ten championship game? The College Football Playoff, until now a province of the land of dreams, is a reality today.

A minor drawback to Indiana’s success is that it can create a nouveau riche attitude in the short term. The dominant team I hear Indiana fans talk about is Ohio State. The Hoosiers head to Columbus for a big Big Ten showdown on Nov. 23. The ramifications of that game are enormous.

But only if Indiana beats Michigan first. If the Hoosiers lose to the Wolverines, it wouldn’t be fatal to their goals, but it would be a major setback.

That’s why I would resist any disturbing notion that the Michigan game is just a stepping stone to bigger things. The Michigan game should still be treated as something important, because beating the Wolverines still carries a lot of weight.

I probably don’t have to remind Indiana fans of the Hoosiers’ story against Michigan. Indiana’s all-time record against Michigan is 10-62. Four of those victories took place before or during World War II. Three more were in the 1950s.

That leaves Indiana’s victories in 1967, 1987 and 2020 since the Beatles were still a functioning band. That’s a dismal 3-42 record since 1967.

Regardless of where Indiana and Michigan are in the standings, any win the Hoosiers get against the Wolverines should be appreciated and not discounted.

It’s fair for Indiana fans to expect a win, given their current place in the pecking order. But it’s also perfectly fine to celebrate a win over the Wolverines, because obviously that doesn’t happen very often.

Another factor to consider? Michigan is struggling by its typical standard, but they recruit the cream of the crop. The Wolverines will bring five- and four-star athletes to Bloomington on Saturday. They may not be gelling as a unit, but the raw talent is there and Indiana has yet to face a team that recruits at Michigan’s level. If Indiana wins, it will be another sign of how good these Hoosiers are.

Cignetti understands all this. There was no mention this week that Michigan “stinks.” He knows that beating Michigan, even the simple symbolism of beating Michigan, is a big deal.

“They have weapons. They have good backs. “They have good players and they are a good football team that comes here with a lot of tradition, a lot of history, a lot of pride, and that is part of the reason why it is on national television at 3:30.” Cignetti said. “To face that challenge, we must have a great week of preparation.”

Michigan is one of the big two. To become one of the Big Two, even if only for one season, as Indiana will prove in 2024, you have to beat the Big Two.

No matter where they are in the Big Ten race, it will still be a big deal if Indiana beats Michigan on Saturday. Don’t lose sight of it as you look toward more important things.