LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The surprise isn’t that Indiana is ranked No. 2 in the first College Football Playoff rankings.
It’s that Indiana was in serious contention for No. 1. That’s the headline. At the University of Louisville, the Cardinals are in striking position, at No. 15, one spot behind Virginia, which would earn the ACC’s automatic bid if the playoff were today.
The ranking settles nothing. It varies more week to week than the regular polls. But it means more.
Selection committee chair Mack Rhodes said committee put the Hoosiers side-by-side with Ohio State and debated it. The Buckeyes got the edge because of a better non-conference schedule, and a bit on the football eye test. But if Indiana takes care of business, it will have a chance to settle that on the field.
“This was a very close call,” Rhoades said. “We had robust discussion about 1 through 3. Ohio State and Indiana are both really, really quality teams. Both have top-5 offenses and defenses. But when we looked at film… we felt Ohio State had a slight edge up front and defensively.”
This wasn’t a courtesy ranking. It wasn’t sentiment. It was a sober, stats-and-film breakdown by the people who control the postseason. And the margin was razor-thin.
That means Indiana, nine weeks in, has everything it needs. The wins. The metrics. The tape.
It just needs to finish.
Louisville sits at 15 — and has a path
In Louisville (and Virginia) the committee sees potential, but not dominance. And it’s clear Louisville will need to win out and hope to get a second shot at Virginia, if the Cavaliers don’t stumble in the process.
This is the 21st time Louisville has appeared in the CFP rankings, and the second time under Jeff Brohm.
“Virginia beating Louisville on the road, that’s a really, really good win,” Rhoades said, unprompted. “… Louisville is a really good team.”
That’s committee-speak for: watch them.
The full rankings:
Here are the full rankings:
1 Ohio State
2 Indiana
3 Texas A&M
4 Alabama
5 Georgia
6 Ole Miss
7 BYU
8 Texas Tech
9 Oregon
10 Notre Dame
11 Texas
12 Oklahoma
13 Utah
14 Virginia
15 Louisville
16 Vanderbilt
17 Georgia Tech
18 Miami
19 USC
20 Iowa
21 Michigan
22 Missouri
23 Washington
24 Pitt
25 Tennessee
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