Indiana Hoosiers enter Week 10 ranked No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, yet the defending national champions have not resembled the dominant team of a year ago. After opening the season with two Group of Six opponents and an FCS foe, Indiana is 5-1 in Big Ten play, with four of those victories decided by one score and three straight requiring fourth-quarter comebacks.
The Hoosiers' schedule has drawn scrutiny all season, as Indiana chose not to schedule a Power Four nonconference opponent. During his Wednesday radio show heading into the bye week, head coach Curt Cignetti offered his view on why the SEC dominated the first CFP rankings, pointing to the relationship among the Playoff, the SEC, and ESPN. "SEC gets a lot of love from ESPN and all their writers that they don't technically pay but march to their drum," Cignetti said. "And that's why you see all these SEC teams up there and some good two-loss teams from the Big Ten not quite as high. But like I said, it's all gonna play out on the field."
Cignetti, who had not posted on social media since early September, then shared a screenshot of CBS Sports' Brad Crawford's list of the most wins over teams above .500 this season, which places Indiana at the top with five, captioned "facts are stubborn things." Indiana's wins over teams with winning records include North Texas (6-2), Northwestern (6-2), Nebraska (5-3), Michigan (5-3), and Minnesota (5-3). The Hoosiers have faced only one ranked opponent — Ohio State, their lone loss.
That will change on November 14 when No. 4 Indiana hosts No. 20 USC (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS), with both teams coming off a bye week. USC is looking to build on a desperately needed win over Ohio State, while Indiana has a chance to quiet concerns about its schedule and performance with a comfortable victory over a quality opponent.
Cignetti's advocacy highlights a broader down year for the Big Ten at the top. Oregon has struggled, Ohio State has dealt with quarterback uncertainty, USC has been inconsistent, and Indiana's offense has sputtered. UCLA remains the conference's only undefeated team but has yet to face another elite opponent and has not earned the committee's benefit of the doubt. As Cignetti noted, the Playoff will ultimately settle matters on the field, but he intends to keep pressing for greater respect for his Hoosiers and other Big Ten programs.
