COLUMBUS, Ohio — After Indiana’s top-five showdown at Ohio State, attention turns back to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.
The fifth-ranked Hoosiers came up short on Saturday at Ohio Stadium, falling to the second-ranked Buckeyes 38-15.
After stumbling for the first time this season, Indiana (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) faces a lot of uncertainty with its postseason fate. This was its lone opportunity against a ranked opponent, and it did not go well. Ohio State (10-1, 7-1) completely dominated after the first two possessions.
So what are the implications of this?
IU will certainly drop in the polls on Sunday and the CFP rankings on Tuesday. The question remains how far that fall is, and some of that could depend on results from other top teams around the country. Indiana no longer has its undefeated record, and its strongest win this season is against 6-5 Washington. But the Hoosiers bludgeoned so many teams they faced this season, which does work in their favor.
This loss will make it difficult for Indiana to host a first-round playoff game, and it’ll need to stay in the top 12 to remain in the projected CFP bracket.
The updated College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday evening.
After the game, IU coach Curt Cignetti was asked following the Ohio State loss if his team has done enough this season to secure a spot in the 12-team CFP.
“Is that a serious question?” Cignetti asked back. “I’m not even going to answer that. The answer is so obvious.”
Cignetti nodded yes when the questioner followed up with “So you think you should be in?”
Indiana is still in contention for the Big Ten Championship game, but they’ll need second losses by both Ohio State and likely Penn State as well to get there.
Also off the table now is any idea that quarterback Kurtis Rourke is a legitimate contender for the Heisman Trophy. Indiana was unable to protect Rourke all afternoon, and he completed just 8-of-18 passes for 68 yards against the Buckeyes.
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