College Football Playoffs: Indiana Isn't Ready

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COLUMBUS – The number five ranked Indiana Hoosiers challenged the number two Ohio St Buckeyes on Saturday in a showdown that had College Football Playoff rankings on the line. If Indiana won the game, the team would’ve likely earned a spot in the playoffs regardless of whether or not the team would’ve ended the season with wins over both Purdue and Oregon in the Big Ten Championship. Winning against Purdue is almost a given. If the team had lost one game, the Big Ten Championship, the committee would have little choice but to give Indiana a chance to see what this team can do.

Although there will be plenty of arguments on why Indiana still deserves one of the final spots, the team’s hopes were likely dashed on Saturday with a 38-15 loss to the Buckeyes. Although it’s just one loss and the team shattered expectations, the reality is the team wasn’t prepared to walk into a tough road stadium and win. The Hoosiers required a tougher schedule to compete against teams like the Buckeyes or Ducks. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, they were on the wrong side of the strength of schedule argument.

Things could’ve been different if the Michigan Wolverines were as good as expected. That would’ve easily helped Indiana’s playoff resume.

Had the game against the Buckeyes been closer, then it would’ve been impossible to dismiss the Hoosiers’ chances. It was a close game at halftime as the Buckeyes were only ahead by seven points with the score 14-7. Had the trend continued, Indiana would’ve been a lock even with the loss.

Losing by 16 points might’ve put Indiana on the bubble. Ohio State closed the door to any realistic chance that Indiana had of making the playoffs when the team decided to essentially rub it in with a touchdown in the final seconds. Ohio State won 38-15. Even so, it’s not necessarily over for Indiana just yet but it’s not looking good.

Let’s assume this is all pointless and Indiana gets one of the final seeds. Could the Hoosiers go to the blue turf of Boise State and come out with a win? Why ask the Hoosiers to play at Boise State? The Broncos are a top team this year. Ashton Jeanty is the best running back in football. If Indiana somehow sneaks in, a road test on the blue turf, against the best runner in college football would be a very interesting test.

At times, Indiana’s defense is fast and physical. In the first half against the Buckeyes, the team proved it. The Hoosiers also have one of the most relentless pass rushes in college football.

It may not be Boise State that challenges Indiana if, by some slim chance, the team makes it. Will the committee allow four Big Ten teams to be in the playoffs anyway? There’s a lot to figure out with the new system and that lack of knowledge could invite playoff chaos when the selections are made as it is impossible to determine what the committee values now. Is it overall record, strength of schedule, or a conference championship win? What will the criteria for selections be?

Chances are the Big Ten will send three teams to the playoffs. The exact order in which seeds the teams will earn remains a mystery. However, Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State all deserve to be in the playoffs barring any changes in the final week.

Indiana Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is one of the better quarterbacks in the country with a quarterback rating of 85.9 which is third best QBR in Division I college football. He has passed for 2,478 yards and 21 touchdowns this season with just four interceptions.

Indiana has the third-best overall defense just behind Texas and Ohio State. However, those wins are over Florida International, Western Illinois, UCLA, Charlotte, Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska, Washington, Michigan State, and Michigan. Not necessarily enough to impress the committee. Indiana dropped to number 10 in the Associated Press poll after the loss.

If Indiana remains number ten, there is an outside chance that the team will advance to the 12-team playoffs. Losses by Alabama, Ole Miss, and BYU may help the Hoosiers. Even if it does, the team has a lot to improve on to be ready for showdowns against the top eleven teams in college football.

The Hoosiers likely need to win against Purdue by no fewer than 28 points and allow no more than seven points to increase the team’s chances of making the playoffs. Indiana’s strength of schedule was number 51 in college football.