Perfect season has done the unthinkable — turned Indiana into the toast of college football

Ed Miller has attended Indiana football and basketball games since the early 1970s, and he's never seen a fall quite like this.

As the leaves change colors and flutter to the ground, and the action ramps up for one of college basketball's true blueblood programs, everyone around Bloomington is focused on what's happening inside the football stadium.

Here, the 70-year-old Miller has been part of three straight home sellouts, seen the spinning towels and decibel levels attain new heights while the favored candy-striped basketball pants have been replaced by the increasingly fashionable candy-striped overalls. Yes, even the start of basketball season cannot tarnish this season's most unthinkable story in college football — the rise of the Hoosiers.

“It’s hard this time of year usually to keep going to football games, but that has totally flipped,” Miller said. "And now, honestly, I’m a little disappointed in basketball. I’m more excited about football than basketball, and I didn’t think I’d ever say that.”