Indiana Falls to No. 9 in CFP Rankings Without Playing, Committee Chair Cites Bye Week Timing
Indiana dropped five places to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings without playing a game. Committee chair Hunter Yurachek blamed the timing of its bye week, but analysts and fans pushed back, even as the Hoosiers keep an 81.1% playoff probability.
Indiana fell five spots to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings without playing a game, and critics say the CFP rankings got wrong how to treat a bye week. Selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek said the Hoosiers were hurt by the timing of their time off.
Indiana also lost its place as the highest-ranked Big Ten team. UCLA climbed to No. 4 after improving to 9-0.
Who sits ahead of Indiana
The committee put Indiana behind Georgia, Utah, Alabama, UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas, Miami and Tennessee. Curt Cignetti's team had the weekend off after surviving two consecutive overtime games.
Yurachek explained the drop after the rankings came out. "Indiana was probably the victim of having a bye week at the wrong time, a time where there were seven games within our top 25," he said.
He listed the results that moved teams around the Hoosiers. Notre Dame beat Miami, Texas beat Missouri, UCLA won on the road, and Alabama won big at LSU.
Yurachek on Indiana's own win
Yurachek also pointed to the Hoosiers' last result. "Indiana needed a 60-yard field goal as time expired to send that game into overtime and win that game," he said. The opponent was a Minnesota team that UCLA later beat.
He added that every Big Ten opponent Indiana had faced to that point had lost. Those six losses weighed on the Hoosiers' strength of record and strength of schedule.
Reaction to the committee
Few reporters or analysts embraced the explanation. An Indiana fan page wrote: "This committee cannot be taken seriously."
"Ridiculous. What the basketball committee gets right is treating all games the same, whether it's November or March," said Will Rosenblatt of LSU Wire.
NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach asked: "Remember when they told us they 'start from scratch' every week?" Connor Hines of Atlanta News First replied with a single word: "Lol."
Not everyone objected. The "4 Horsemen Podcast" page wrote: "I don't hate this at all. It should be a re-rank and re-evaluation every week to update a school's wins and losses. 9 is a bit harsh for Indiana but fair enough."
Miami also took a significant drop in the rankings. Jordan Rodgers took issue with Tennessee being placed behind Alabama.
USC next for Indiana
Indiana's playoff hopes are still alive. PFN's CFB Playoff Meter gives the Hoosiers an 81.1% probability of reaching the CFP this season.
Their next game is a Saturday showdown against USC. The Trojans are 7-2 after a 30-18 win over Ohio State, and a win would strengthen Indiana's playoff outlook and answer the criticism of its latest ranking.
