The first College Football Playoff rankings were announced Wednesday night on ESPN.
After falling to No. 6 in this week’s AP poll, Indiana fans may have been surprised when the selection committee seeded the Hoosiers at No. 4.
The hosts of the ranking show expressed surprise.
One of those hosts, Greg McElroy, was particularly bemused as teams continued to be revealed.
“By the way, we still haven’t seen Indiana either, and they are sitting at some point maybe eight spots ahead of the team that beat them in Ohio State,” McElroy said. “Right now, what we might see in the five and the four spot are completely shocking.”
The Buckeyes fell to No.12 after a loss at USC on Saturday left the committee wondering how good they would be after losing starting quarterback Julian Sayin to injury.
Once Indiana’s seed was revealed, surprise became displeasure from the hosts.
Rece Davis first referenced the nature of Indiana’s most recent wins.
“Now, their last four games, one of them a loss, decided by a grand total of 21 points, two overtime periods, and a desperation 60-yard field goal,” Davis said. “All credit in the world for getting that done.”
Davis said the close wins speak to the Hoosiers’ mentality.
“They believe they're going to win games,” Davis said. “And that’s something in your toolbox that you can use.”
Joey Galloway was less than impressed.
“Dominating games must not be that important,” Galloway said. “I think Indiana is getting the benefit of the doubt of being the national champions from last season. They haven't looked that way.”
McElroy then took aim at IU’s offense.
“The reality is, their last three touchdown drives in the last two games went for a combined total of 72 yards,” McElroy said.
Indiana may receive the benefit of the doubt as the reigning national champion, but it is also facing an uphill battle when compared to last season’s team.
“They're a far cry from what they were last year,” McElroy said. “Doesn't mean they can't get there. It's just they haven't been there at this point of the season.”
There will be plenty of shakeups to the bracket as the season progresses. As it stands, Indiana would face some familiar opponents in the playoff.
As the No. 4 seed, IU would face the winner of the first-round matchup between Alabama and Boise State. Assuming Alabama would win in Tuscaloosa, the Crimson Tide would get a shot at a rematch with Indiana in the second round. The Hoosiers trounced the Crimson Tide in last season’s Rose Bowl, a quarterfinal playoff game.
In a bracket based on the current ratings, if the favorites won the surrounding matchups, Indiana would face another team with a bison-sized chip on its shoulder in the CFP semifinal. Miami, the No.1 overall seed, would need to defeat BYU or UCLA to get another crack at the Hoosiers.
Indiana has a bye this weekend before facing USC on Nov. 14 at Memorial Stadium.