We are one week away from hearing from the College Football Playoff Committee for the first time.
And with a win this weekend at Maryland, Indiana appears certain to be one of the four teams that will receive a bye in the Committee’s initial projection of the field. The Hoosiers did nothing but improve their outlook with a 56-6 destruction of UCLA on Saturday.
But where will IU end up in the first projection of the field?
A new CFP policy implemented in 2025 guarantees the five highest-ranked conference champions a place in the Playoff, but will no longer include a bye for the four highest-ranked champions as was the case a year ago. That format forced Indiana (ranked No. 8 by the CFP) on the road to face Notre Dame. Under the current format IU would have hosted a first round game last season.
In 2025 the 12-team bracket will now be seeded directly based on the final ranking of the CFP Selection Committee, with the four highest-ranked teams receiving a first-round bye. If one or more of the five highest-ranked conference champions are ranked outside the top 12, that team or teams would move up to the 12th seed, 11th seed, etc., based on the number of conference champions outside the top 12.
Getting a first round bye would mean IU would not host a CFP game, and instead play in one of the designated second round bowl sites: Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl. Teams ranked No. 5-8 by the CFP Committee will host the first round games.
IU’s remaining schedule is relatively favorable. They’ll face just one more team (Maryland) currently with a winning record, but three of their final four are on the road, including a tricky trip to a wounded but dangerous Penn State.
Indiana’s full remaining schedule is as follows. The Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0) currently have a strong chance to make the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, even with one loss:
- at Maryland (4-3)
- at Penn State (3-4)
- vs. Wisconsin (2-6)
- at Purdue (2-6)
- at Big Ten Championship (Dec. 6), if qualify.
Here are the latest CFP projections for Indiana from some of the main national outlets:
USA TODAY: No. 1
New York Times/Athletic: No. 2
Bleacher Report: No. 2
Sports Illustrated: No. 3
CBS Sports: No. 3
On3: No. 3
Andrea Adelson: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Georgia Tech 8. Miami 9. Oregon 10. BYU 11. Texas Tech 12. Navy
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Oregon 6. Georgia 7. Ole Miss 8. Georgia Tech 9. Miami 10. BYU 11. Texas Tech 12. South Florida
Bill Connelly: 1. Indiana 2. Ohio State 3. Texas A&M 4. Georgia Tech 5. Alabama 6. Georgia 7. BYU 8. Oregon 9. Miami 10. Ole Miss 11. Texas Tech 12. Navy
David Hale: 1. Indiana 2. Ohio State 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Georgia Tech 8. BYU 9. Miami 10. Vanderbilt 11. Oregon 12. Tulane
Eli Lederman: 1. Indiana 2. Ohio State 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia Tech 6. Georgia 7. Ole Miss 8. Oregon 9. Miami 10. BYU 11. Vanderbilt 12. Navy
Max Olson: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Oregon 7. Miami 8. Georgia Tech 9. BYU 10. Ole Miss 11. Texas Tech 12. Tulane
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Georgia Tech 7. Ole Miss 8. Miami 9. BYU 10. Oregon 11. Notre Dame 12. Tulane
Mark Schlabach: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Georgia Tech 8. Miami 9. Oregon 10. BYU 11. Vanderbilt 12. Navy
Jake Trotter: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Georgia Tech 8. Miami 9. Vanderbilt 10. BYU 11. Oregon 12. Memphis
Paolo Uggetti: 1. Indiana 2. Ohio State 3. Texas A&M 4. Alabama 5. Oregon 6. Georgia Tech 7. Georgia 8. Ole Miss 9. Miami 10. BYU 11. Vanderbilt 12. Navy
Dave Wilson: 1. Ohio State 2. Indiana 3. Ole Miss 4. Texas A&M 5. Alabama 6. Georgia 7. Georgia Tech 8. Miami 9. BYU 10. Oregon 11. Texas Tech 12. Navy
You can also build your own scenarios with the Allstate Playoff Predictor.
Soon we won’t have to wade through anyone’s predictions. The CFP Selection Committee members will meet weekly to produce rankings beginning next Tuesday. The committee’s rankings will be announced on ESPN. Here’s the schedule to update the rankings for the 2025-26 season:
- 8-8:45 p.m. | ET Tuesday, Nov. 4
- 7-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 11
- 8:30-9 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 18
- 7-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 25
- 7-7:30 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Dec. 2
- 12-3 p.m. ET | Sunday, Dec. 7 (Selection Day)
2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule, dates, TV channel, sites
- First round (Dec. 19-20) — on campus
- Friday, Dec. 19: One game
- Saturday, Dec. 20: Three games
- Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
- Wednesday, Dec. 31: Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- Thursday, Jan. 1: Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.) | 12 p.m. | ESPN
- Thursday, Jan. 1: Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) | 4 p.m. | ESPN
- Thursday, Jan. 1: Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) | 8 p.m. | ESPN
- Semifinals (Jan. 8-9)
- Thursday, Jan. 8: Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- Friday, Jan. 9: Peach Bowl (Atlanta) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- CFP National Championship
- Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
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