BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football earned its highest-ever ranking in the College Football Playoff poll Tuesday night, slotting in at No. 2 nationally behind Ohio State. It’s debatable the Hoosiers could’ve been even higher.
Indiana (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) and Ohio State (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) are comparable in several aspects. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee ultimately gave the Buckeyes the edge — though chairman Mack Rhoades acknowledged it was a difficult decision following the 8 p.m. rankings reveal.
“Certainly great conversation and discussion about Ohio State and Indiana,” Rhoades said on a teleconference Tuesday night. “Two really, really quality, quality teams, two teams with really, really good wins. Ohio State versus No. 11 Texas and a win over 23 Washington. Indiana, No. 9 Oregon, No. 20 Iowa. Both defenses, both offenses ranked in the top 5.”
The difference, Rhoades said, stems from the selection committee’s film work, done primarily by former coaches in Chris Ault, Mark Dantonio and Mike Riley. Ohio State impressed evaluators more than Indiana.
“It was certainly close, but when we looked at film, and we’re blessed to have committee members and coaches that do a lot of film work, we just felt like Ohio State had a slight edge when we think about offensive line play and then a slight edge defensively,” Rhoades said. “That was really the outcome.
“Ohio State has some, I’m going to call them, explosive players that probably stood out as well.”
The Buckeyes have the best defense in the FBS, ranking No. 1 in yards allowed at 214.8 per game and scoring with 6.9 points allowed per game. The Hoosiers are No. 7 and No. 3 in total defense and scoring defense, respectively.
Offensively, Indiana is No. 1 in scoring, averaging 46.4 points per game, and No. 3 in total offense with 504.9 yards per game. Ohio State is No. 17 and No. 30, respectively, and behind the committee’s third-ranked team, Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0 SEC).
Rhoades noted there was “robust” conversation not only between Indiana and Ohio State, but also Texas A&M for the top spot. The Aggies’ resume includes a 41-40 win over Notre Dame on Sept. 13 and a 49-25 win at LSU on Oct. 25, both of which impressed the committee, and quarterback Marcel Reed is a “dynamic playmaker” and dual threat weapon, Rhoades said.
Texas A&M’s defense — which is No. 31 in total yards and No. 60 in points allowed — prevented the Aggies from clearing the Big Ten’s last two undefeated teams.
“I think you’re talking about really small margins when you think about the difference between Ohio State, Indiana and A&M,” Rhoades said. “And then I think statistically when we looked at A&M defensively, they’re just lower than both Ohio State and Indiana.
“We had to make a hard decision, and you’re trying to find separators, and that was a separator for us.”
Non-conference scheduling, inherently, isn’t a separator. However, Rhoades acknowledged Ohio State’s Week 1 victory over preseason No. 1 and current No. 11 Texas is a significant win for the Buckeyes’ resume.
But the committee isn’t holding the Hoosiers’ approach to non-conference scheduling — one that didn’t feature a Power 4 team but included Old Dominion (6-3) and Kennesaw State (6-2) — against them.
“The schedule is the schedule,” Rhoades said. “We don’t talk about scheduling philosophy and how any team scheduled. We just looked at ‘Hey, this is who they have on the schedule. This is the outcome of those games.’ Then looking at all of the metrics at our disposal.”
According to ESPN Analytics, Indiana has the No. 2 strength of record, trailing Texas A&M while leading Ohio State by one spot, but the No. 39 overall strength of schedule, below Texas A&M (15) and Ohio State (33).
But numbers alone don’t decide the race. Rhoades said the eye-test plays an important part, and Ohio State — with Heisman candidate Julian Sayin at quarterback, perhaps the nation’s best receiver duo with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate and a defense littered with future NFL draft picks — aced the exam.
Thus, while the committee values metrics, none are weighted heavier than others, and game film plays an integral role in settling debates as close as Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M.
“We refer to it as art and science,” Rhoades said. “I think the art is watching the team on film and tape and how good they are, how physical they are up front, offensive line, defensive line play, how good are they up the middle, their quarterback play, their skill players, and then certainly contemplating and looking at metrics.”
The College Football Playoff will reveal rankings each week until the final selection Dec. 7, the Sunday of conference championship weekend. Indiana and Ohio State appear on a collision course to meet Dec. 6 in Indianapolis, where the committee’s assumptions about the Buckeyes and Hoosiers will be tested.
The next set of rankings will be delivered at 7 p.m. ET Nov. 11 on ESPN.
Here’s the selection committee’s first top 25, courtesy of Sports Illustrated.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes 8–0
2. Indiana Hoosiers 9–0
3. Texas A&M Aggies 8–0
4. Alabama Crimson Tide 7–1
5. Georgia Bulldogs 7–1
6. Ole Miss Rebels 8–1
7. BYU Cougars 8–0
8. Texas Tech Red Raiders 8–1
9. Oregon Ducks 7–1
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 6–2
11. Texas Longhorns 7–2
12. Oklahoma Sooners 7–2
13. Utah Utes 7–2
14. Virginia Cavaliers 8–1
15. Louisville Cardinals 7–1
16. Vanderbilt Commodores 7–2
17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 8–1
18. Miami Hurricanes 6–2
19. USC Trojans 6–2
20. Iowa Hawkeyes 6–2
21. Michigan Wolverines 7–2
22. Missouri Tigers 6–2
23. Washington Huskies 6–2
24. Pittsburgh Panthers 7–2
25. Tennessee Volunteers 6–3
