Indiana slid from No. 4 all the way to No. 9 in the second set of CFP rankings released Tuesday, and yeah, they did that on their bye week. You read that right: the Hoosiers dropped five spots without even playing a game. You know darn well Curt Cignetti is already dialing up his next radio show segment, probably fuming about how a team can fall that hard on its week off. It is exactly the kind of material he was talking about just last week when he accused ESPN and the SEC of getting “a lot of love,” suggesting that was why two-loss Big Ten teams were lagging behind two-loss SEC teams. Well, Committee, consider the fire stoked.
The Committee’s Message to the Hoosiers
The rankings are out, and Cignetti’s point is screaming: No. 3 Alabama (7-2), No. 6 Tennessee (7-2), and No. 8 Texas (7-2) are all ranked ahead of Indiana (8-1). The Hoosiers are literally one Nick Marsh foot out of bounds from being undefeated and sitting pretty in the driver’s seat of the Big Ten. Yet, they are stuck behind three two-loss SEC teams. It feels like overkill when you look at how tight their season has been, with four one-score victories in Big Ten play already under their belt. This isn’t just about Indiana’s ranking though; the message from the committee is way bigger. If the Hoosiers are going to be treated this way with just one loss, what in the world does that mean for a defending national champion who might pick up a second loss? The stakes are sky high, and we’re all waiting to hear Cignetti’s take on this one.
Notre Dame and UCLA: Riding High
While Indiana is feeling the sting, some other teams are getting some serious love from the committee. Notre Dame (8-1) rocketed up six spots to No. 5. This feels like where they should have been all along, honestly. The committee clearly respected their 31-24 victory against Miami (8-1), which sent the Hurricanes tumbling to No. 7. This setup makes sense, especially considering Miami edged out the Irish for a CFP spot last season. Notre Dame now has a pretty straightforward path back to the playoff if they can just take care of business against Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse in their next three weeks. They get an automatic berth if they finish in the top 12, so they could even afford another loss at this point. The only wrinkle? They are on the same side of the bracket as No. 1 Georgia (8-1), and frankly, those are the two teams we’d love to see in the championship game.
UCLA (9-0) also saw a big bump, moving up four spots to No. 4. That means a potential bye for the Big Ten’s clubhouse leader. What a first season it is for coach Bob Chesney, especially with backup quarterback Ty Dieffenbach stepping up as the starter, backed by a fierce running game and a stout defense. UCLA’s closing stretch is no joke, with games against Illinois, Michigan, and USC. That regular-season finale against the Trojans is shaping up to be *the* Big Ten rivalry game, and it’s looking like it will overshadow the classic Ohio State-Michigan showdown on Rivalry Week. How wild is that?
So, the Hoosiers gotta bring it against No. 18 USC (7-2) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. This whole ranking drama is gonna get even wilder, for real.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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