USC Indiana Five Things: Hoosiers Need Win to Keep CFP Hopes
Indiana hosts USC this week with its College Football Playoff hopes under pressure after falling from No. 4 to No. 9 in the rankings. The usc indiana five things below cover the stakes, the schedule ahead, injuries and what coach Curt Cignetti expects from the Trojans.
Indiana's home game against USC this week now carries real College Football Playoff consequences, and these are the usc indiana five things that matter. The Hoosiers fell from No. 4 to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings despite sitting out a bye week.
1. The ranking drop changed the stakes
Indiana opened at No. 4 in the first set of playoff rankings last week. That looked like breathing room.
The slide to No. 9 removed it. A matchup that was always going to be big now probably decides the Hoosiers' postseason hopes.
2. The record math is tight
An 11-1 Indiana, or an 11-2 team that reaches the Big Ten Championship Game, gets into the field. That is the working assumption in Bloomington.
A 10-2 finish is a different story. Perhaps not enough, according to the Hoosiers' own coverage this week.
3. USC is the last ranked opponent left
The Trojans are the lone ranked team remaining on Indiana's schedule. A win could lift the Hoosiers up the rankings.
It would also set up a friendlier finish. Washington and Purdue are the only other opponents left.
A loss would all but sink Indiana's odds of another playoff appearance.
4. Injury report brings mixed news
Quarterback Josh Hoover is not on Indiana's injury report this week, which counts as good news for the Hoosiers. Running back Turbo Richard and defensive lineman Kellan Wyatt are out.
Indiana lists the two absences as the only notable ones heading into the game.
5. Cignetti expects a hard test
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has said he sees a USC team that will make life difficult for the Hoosiers on both sides of the ball. He has not treated the visit as a gimme.
Players including Charlie Becker and Preston Zachman have also spoken to local media about USC week.
The wider picture
The rankings drop has drawn plenty of reaction. The committee has explained its reasoning for moving Indiana down, and some commentators argue the Hoosiers cannot complain about it.
Whether the committee deserves to be taken seriously has become a talking point in its own right. Indiana can answer the argument on the field against USC.
Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is set to start for the Las Vegas Raiders. Indiana's basketball team, meanwhile, beat Syracuse 83-80.
