College football fans, media react to Indiana’s big drop in CFP rankings
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Indiana was No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings after a 23-16 win over Minnesota on Oct. 31. The Hoosiers were off for Week 10 ahead of Week 11’s contest against USC.
Then Tuesday rolled around, and with it a new set of rankings — which dropped Indiana a full five spots to No. 9.
Granted, the Hoosiers are still projected to be a Top 12 team, and there was no doubt they were going to remain in the Top 10. But going down a full five spots coming out of an open week certainly was an eyebrow-raising decision by the CFP committee, a week after the initial rankings put Alabama at No. 5.
That didn’t go over well on social media. Neither did Tuesday’s developments. Fans and media, already left waiting longer than usual for the updated Top 25 due to the Michigan State-Duke basketball game, made their voices heard after the rankings reveal.
After its game against USC, Indiana visits Washington before wrapping up its season against Purdue. Who knows? Maybe the Hoosiers’ drop in the rankings can serve as further motivation for the defending national champions down the stretch — as if they needed it, that is.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
