‘We think highly of Indiana.’ Why CFP selection committee is impressed by 9-0 Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON — College Football Playoff selection committee chair and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel made it clear that Indiana football’s string of one-sided victories made an impression on the group as they deliberated over this season’s first set of rankings.

“We think highly of Indiana,” Manuel said during a teleconference on Tuesday night. “… They have a Top 10 scoring defense, only allowing 14 points per game, a top 20 offense. They are just an impressive team.”

He also pointed out IU’s 33-point average margin of victory in describing them as a “formidable” team.

Indiana (9-0; 6-0 Big Ten) was the No. 8 team in initial College Football Playoff rankings but got a No. 9 seed that would have them heading to Knoxville for a first-round matchup against Tennessee.

The winner of that game would get No. 1 Oregon in the quarterfinals.

While fans worried about there being a brand bias against Indiana, the committee made it clear the only thing holding the Hoosiers back was a strength of schedule that ranked 103rd, according to ESPN.

“It does go into an evaluation of what we see, but also who they play and we look forward to seeing how they perform as the season progresses in the next four to five weeks,” Manuel said.

Before the rankings were released, ESPN analyst Booger McFarland described Indiana as the “most disrespected” team in the country.

Fellow analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said IU would be an interesting test case for the committee. How would they balance the Hoosiers’ weaker schedule versus the dominant nature of their wins?

They have set a program record this year with nine straight double-digit wins — they are also the first time in program history to start 9-0 — but have the lowest strength of schedule of the teams ranked in the top 12.

That was offset by the fact that they were…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/think-highly-indiana-why-cfp-020406443.html

Author : The Herald-Times

Publish date : 2024-11-06 02:04:06

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