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IU 16-0 APP // User Guide
APPLICATION USER GUIDE

How to Use the App 2025 Indiana Football vs. The Preseason AP Top 10

This guide walks you through every screen in the app: comparing Indiana's 16-0 season against any Preseason AP Top 10 team, running "what-if" matchup simulations, exploring the full game log, and printing a one-page Executive Brief.

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No download or sign-up Works on phone, tablet & desktop About 5 minutes to learn

Quick Start in 3 Steps

Short on time? Do this.

  1. Open the app. It loads on the Start Here tab, a directory of every feature.
  2. Click Head-to-Head in the top menu and pick an opponent from the dropdown to see Indiana's numbers side by side with theirs.
  3. Click Simulate to send that opponent to the Matchup Simulator, set the sliders, and play out a hypothetical game.
Want something to hand out? Click the red Executive Brief (PDF) button in the top-right corner at any time.
Section 1

Getting Started

The app is a free web app that runs in your browser. It compares Indiana's undefeated 2025 national championship season with the ten teams ranked highest in the 2025 Preseason AP Poll.

Open it

Go to the app link in any modern browser: Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox. Nothing to install and no account needed.

Any screen size

On phones and tablets, the top menu becomes a row of buttons you can swipe sideways under the title bar.

First screen

The app always opens on Start Here. Click any card there to jump straight to that feature.

Who Indiana is compared against

Every dropdown in the app uses the same ten opponents, the 2025 Preseason AP Top 10. Teams marked PLAYED IU actually faced Indiana on the field in 2025, so the app also shows notes from the real game.

#1 Texas
#2 Penn State PLAYED IU
#3 Ohio State PLAYED IU
#4 Clemson
#5 Georgia
#6 Notre Dame
#7 Oregon PLAYED IU
#8 Alabama PLAYED IU
#9 LSU
#10 Miami (FL) PLAYED IU
Section 3

Feature Guides

What each screen is for, how to use it step by step, and a tip for getting the most out of it.

Start Here

Top Menu

The app's home screen and built-in help. It lists every feature with a short description.

  1. Use the three big buttons at the top (Head-to-Head, Matchup Simulator, IU Stats & Highlights) for the fastest way in.
  2. Under Core Application Directory, click any card's link (for example "Launch Head-to-Head") to open that screen.
  3. Switch the small toggle to How to Read Charts for an explanation of the radar chart and simulator math, or to Academic Tips for presentation advice.

About This App

Top Menu · Bottom Nav

The story behind the numbers, told in four connected narratives: how Indiana went from being overlooked to 16-0, the stats that disprove the "Cinderella" label, Curt Cignetti's second-half coaching edge, and the transfer-portal roster strategy.

  1. Read top to bottom. Each narrative has its own heading.
  2. At the bottom, use Explore the Application Modules to jump into the tool that backs up each argument.
Tip: New to the project? Read this screen first. Everything else makes more sense with this context.

Head-to-Head

Most Popular

A side-by-side comparison of Indiana and any one Preseason Top 10 team, with a six-point radar chart and a table of 10 key stats.

  1. Pick an opponent from the dropdown, or type in the quick-search box. You can search by team name, conference (SEC, Big Ten, ACC) or rank.
  2. Read the radar chart. Indiana is shown in crimson and the opponent in black. The farther a point sits from the center, the better the team performed on that measure.
  3. Filter the stat table with the category tabs: All Categories, Scoring & Scrimmage, Leverage & 3rd Downs, or Turnovers & Sacks.
  4. If the team played Indiana in 2025, read the on-field game notes for what happened in the real game.
  5. Click Simulate Indiana vs. [team] to carry that opponent straight into the Matchup Simulator.
Stats comparedPoints For & Against, Net Scoring Margin, Offensive & Defensive Yards/Play, Turnover Differential, Sacks, 3rd-Down Rate (for & allowed), Red Zone TD Rate
TipClick the Executive Brief button while you're on a team to turn this comparison into a printable one-page report.

Matchup Simulator & What-If Studio

Top Menu

Play out a hypothetical game between Indiana and any Top 10 team. Change the game conditions to see how the result shifts.

  1. Step 1: Choose Opponent. Select a team from the dropdown. Click View H2H Stats First if you want to see the raw comparison before simulating.
  2. Step 2: Set the conditions with the four controls described below.
  3. Click the red Simulate vs. [team] button. The final score, simulated yardage and the game's decisive drives appear below.
  4. Click Reset to 2025 Baseline to return every control to Indiana's real season averages.
Turnover Margin

Slider from -3 (Indiana loses the ball three more times than the opponent) to +3. The baseline is +2, close to Indiana's real +1.38 per game.

Red Zone TD Efficiency

Slider from 50% (settling for field goals) to 100%, in steps of 5. Indiana's real rate was 88.5%, the best in the nation.

Venue Conditions

Pick CFP Neutral Site (no effect), Memorial Stadium (Indiana home, +3.5 pts) or Opponent True Road (-3.0 pts).

Curt Cignetti 2nd Half Mastery

An on/off switch. When ACTIVE, the simulation applies Indiana's real second-half scoring surge (+166 points across Q3 and Q4 for the season). When DISABLED, both halves are played even.

Try this: Set Turnover Margin to -3 and turn off 2nd Half Mastery to stress-test Indiana in a worst-case game. Then click Export Brief (PDF) on the results scoreboard to save the scenario.

IU Stats & Highlights

Top Menu

Indiana's official season numbers, its standout players, and video highlights of the biggest moments of the championship run.

  1. Use the tabs to choose a view: Complete Overview, Team & Player Stats, Highlight Theater & Key Moments, or 5 Strategic Key Takeaways.
  2. The stat tiles at the top show Indiana's headline numbers and national ranks, such as scoring defense, turnover margin and 3rd-down rate.
  3. In Highlight Theater, click any of the six marquee games to see its key moment, the deciding stats, and a link to the official video recap.

Executive Dashboard

Bottom Nav

The season at a glance. Summary tiles and charts show Indiana's results next to the whole Top 10 group.

  • Summary tiles: record, scoring margin, net yards per play and turnover differential.
  • Scoring Profile: bar chart of points scored and allowed per game for every team. Indiana is the crimson bar.
  • 3rd-Down Mastery: Indiana against the Top 10 average, on offense and on defense.
  • Season Progression by Phase: how Indiana's scoring changed from non-conference play through the Big Ten and the playoff.
Tip: Hover over (or tap) any bar or point on a chart to see its exact value.

16-0 Championship Game Log

Bottom Nav

Every game of the 16-0 season, with a box score and a breakdown of the plays that decided it.

  1. Type in the search box to find a game by opponent, date or venue.
  2. Narrow the list with the filters: All 16 Games, Non-Conference (3-0), Big Ten Regular (9-0), Postseason / CFP (4-0), or One-Possession Thrillers (5-0).
  3. Click any game to open its detail window, which has three tabs:
    • 3-Play Turning Point Timeline: the three plays that swung the game.
    • Drive Chart Visualizer: key drives drawn on a football field.
    • Box Score & Recap: quarter-by-quarter scoring and a written summary.

Thesis Tool

Bottom Nav

Breaks the case for Indiana into four arguments. Each one comes with a chart comparing Indiana with the Top 10 benchmark.

Explosive Offense41.6 PPG · 6.8 YPP
Defensive Lockdown11.7 PA · 46 Sacks
Ball Security & Havoc+22 TO Margin
The Cignetti Blueprint+166 2nd Half

How to use: click any of the four argument cards. The chart and supporting evidence below update to match that argument.

4-Quadrant Profiling

Bottom Nav

A scatter plot that places every team by offense (yards gained per play) and defense (yards allowed per play).

  • The crimson dot is Indiana. Black dots are the Preseason Top 10.
  • The best spot is the corner where offense is high and yards allowed are low. Teams there both move the ball and stop opponents.
  • Hover over or tap a dot to see the team's name and exact numbers.

Document Hub

Bottom Nav

The written documentation behind the project, organized into four tabs:

1. Production Blueprint: how the app is built and the technology behind it.
2. Championship Case Study: the research write-up on the 16-0 season.
3. Project Genesis & Journey: how the project went from a question to a finished app.
4. Academic Information: course details and citations for faculty review.

Use the Print / PDF Brief button at the top of the hub to print or save as a PDF.

Section 4

Reading the Charts

Two ideas will help you read every chart in the app correctly.

"Outward is always better"

Some stats are better when high (points scored) and some when low (points allowed). The radar chart flips the "lower is better" stats so that, on every spoke, a point farther from the center means a better performance.

Defensive Score = max(0, 100 − (PA ÷ 35) × 100)

Each spoke is scored from 0 to 100, so different stats can share one chart.

How the simulator decides

Each time you click Simulate, the app plays the matchup 100 times using each team's real per-play stats plus a bit of randomness. Win probability is simply how many of those 100 games Indiana won.

Win Probability = IU wins in 100 trials ÷ 100

Because of the randomness, running the same settings twice can give slightly different scores. That's expected.

Crimson always means Indiana
Black / grey means the opponent or Top 10 average
Hover or tap any chart for exact values
Section 5

Printing & Sharing: The Executive Brief

The Executive Brief turns any matchup into a clean one-page report you can print, save as a PDF, or paste into an email or chat.

  1. Click the red Executive Brief (PDF) button in the top-right corner, or Export Brief (PDF) on a simulation result.
  2. Use the dropdown in the brief window to change the opponent if needed.
  3. Choose Print / Save as PDF to open your browser's print dialog. To save a file, set the printer to "Save as PDF".
  4. Or choose Copy Text to copy a plain-text summary you can paste anywhere.
What's in the brief
  • Records for both teams and a comparison of 8 key stats
  • An executive tactical assessment
  • Real game notes (if the teams met in 2025) or a simulation projection
  • The date and CreativeTech Studio credit
Section 6

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Where does the data come from?
The app uses final 2025-26 season statistics for Indiana and each Preseason AP Top 10 team. Sources and citations are listed in the Document Hub under Academic Information.
Why did my simulation give a different score the second time?
The simulator includes randomness, just like real games do. Each click runs a fresh set of 100 simulated games, so scores vary a little while the overall trend stays the same.
I can't see all the tabs on my phone.
On smaller screens, the menu tabs sit in a row just under the title bar. Swipe that row left or right to see them all. The Quick Navigation dock at the bottom also scrolls sideways.
The PDF button opened a print window. How do I save a file?
In the print window, change the Destination or Printer to Save as PDF (Microsoft Print to PDF on some Windows PCs), then click Save.
A chart looks blank or the page won't load.
Refresh the page and make sure you're on an up-to-date browser. Ad or script blockers can sometimes stop the charts from drawing. Try turning them off for this site.
Who built this, and how do I get in touch?
The app was designed and built by CreativeTech Studio. Visit creativetech.studio or email sb.creative.digital@gmail.com.

You're Ready to Go

Open the app, pick a Top 10 opponent, and see how Indiana's 16-0 season compares.

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