Did the SEC Save Indiana's Bacon, Or Are the Hoosier's Playoff Chances Toast?

[30Duck]

...the Indiana loss more than likely sinks the Hoosiers’ Cinderella march toward a coveted Playoff spot.

The Hoosiers are still 10-1, but they scored 20 and 15 points, respectively, against the 2 best teams they faced this season, Michigan and Ohio State.

 

Far from perfect, Indiana’s fate now in the hands of the Playoff committee

SATURDAYTRADITION.COM

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Indiana was no match for Ohio State. The question now is: How much will that 1 game matter to the Playoff selection committee?

 

[Jon Sousa]

Any team that goes 11-1 in the B1G, playing 9 conference games deserves a playoff spot. There are no cupcakes in the B1G. The SEC replaces one conference game with a cupcake game.

 

That's my opinion.

[Charles Fischer]

 

[Charles Fischer]

 

[Charles Fischer]

Oh, the love in the SEC...

 

 

[30Duck]

Indiana, losing to No,2 Ohio State at the 'shoe, their first and only loss this season, has a much better case than Alabama, who lost a couple hours later to unranked Oklahoma, without scoring a touchdown. This was, under new coach, DeBoer, a poorer showing than its loss to Vanderbilt. 

 

Texas is at A & M next week. Indiana has Purdue at home.

[Charles Fischer]

 

[Charles Fischer]

 

[HappyToBeADuck]

Indiana with just 1 loss could fall outside of the top twelve but unlikely.....probably 10 or 11. Depends on if the committee moves BSU, SMU and Clemson up.

 

They are a good team that has taken care of business until they ventured into the Shoe. Their special team unit gifted the Buckeyes some easy points.

 

No team can afford to give a elite team easy points.

 

If Michigan upsets tOSU then the Hoosiers could find themselves back in the BIG CCG.

 

The SEC Coaches and Honks should focus on winning on the field. You earn your way into the CFP. You can't talk your way in. So shut the hec up.....

 

Alabama and Ole Miss should drop out of the top 12. Those were bad losses against unranked opponents.

 

My top 12 for CFP would be:

Oregon

tOSU

Texas

PSU

Georgia

ND

Miami

SMU

Indiana

Tennessee

Clemson

ASU

 

The SEC took a giant credibilty hit this weekend. They may have truly saved the Hoosiers chances.

 

Go Ducks beat the huskies...

[Steven A]

Hats off to Denny KILLingham for clinching a spot in the Big 12 title game after being picked last.

 

And maybe replacing Cignetti as coach of the year.

[Steven A]

On 11/24/2024 at 12:07 PM, HappyToBeADuck said:

The SEC took a giant credibilty hit this weekend. They may have truly saved the Hoosiers chances.

No doubt about it.  Only Purdue stands in their way.

[30Duck]

 

Sorry, Alabama, it’s over …

A 9-3 team might/probably will make the College Football Playoff, but it most certainly will not be Alabama.

 

Not after that eFFort Saturday night at Oklahoma — emphasis on the 2 Fs in “effort.”

Just when you think Jalen Milroe might actually be great enough to overcome all of Bama’s obvious issues this season, the tackle and tight end miss their assignment and he RPOs into concussion protocol. Or a decoy wideout in a jumbo package misses his block and sets up a pick-6.

 

Honestly, I can’t remember a worse Alabama offensive line or a weaker backfield. I can’t remember a defense pointing more fingers at one another than getting said fingers on footballs, quarterbacks and running backs.

 

We’ve gone from Brother Routes that produced touchdowns and titles to, “Bruh, what was that?”

 

Maybe Kalen DeBoer fixes this. Probably he doesn’t.

 

But it feels like I’ve spent every other week jumping on and off this rolling Tide of inconsistency.

No more. The 2024 season ended Saturday. It’s time to move on.

 Indiana, that was your Playoff game …

If only the rest of the world applied the same standard of underachievement, right?

 

Instead of rightly burying Indiana’s Playoff chances — DOD, 3:47 PM, Columbus, Ohio, 11/23/2024 — we’re about to be greeted with an avalanche of excuses.

 

Cue the caveats and, please, keep promoting irrelevant stats compiled against the weakest schedule in Power 4 to tell us how explosive Indiana’s offense is.

 

The scoreboard wasn’t broken 2 weeks ago against Michigan, and it didn’t lie Saturday, either: Ohio State 38, Indiana 15.

 

Even that’s being generous. Ohio State left 14 points on the board, and both of IU’s TDs were aided by questionable pass interference calls. Even with the gifts, IU set season-lows for points, passing yards (68), total yards (151) and probably a few other less interesting categories.

None of it was surprising — unless you only listen to pot-stirrers like Danny Kanell, Tim Brando and Co. pumping nonstop nonsense. My advice? Don’t.

 

 

As I wrote 2 weeks ago, a below-average Michigan team exposed Indiana’s offense as a paper champion after allowing just 20 points, 2 TDs and 246 yards.

I told you Ohio State would make the Hoosiers look even more impotent.

 

They did.

 

For weeks I’ve said forget IU’s record, this team doesn’t have enough NFL-ready talent and isn’t physical enough to play with Playoff teams.

 

Saturday, Ohio State punctuated that sentiment with an exclamation point.

Indiana finally played a worthy Playoff opponent it was a first-round TKO.

Curt Cignetti specializes in acting indignant, so it was no surprise that he essentially called everybody who doubts IU’s Playoff bona fides a bumbling idiot.

“So obvious,” he said, before shutting down the questioner.

Oh, it’s obvious all right …

 

I guess an SEC team should be happy, though. Getting to host Indiana in a first-round game would be the next best thing to earning a bye.

[Charles Fischer]

 

[Charles Fischer]

 

[Charles Fischer]

Indiana's Special Teams for sure...

 

 

Oh crap...

 

[Charles Fischer]

 

[DrJacksPlaidPants]

On 11/24/2024 at 5:17 PM, Charles Fischer said:

 

[Dave23]

I'm not sure any team in the SEC other than maybe George could do much better in the Shoe than Indiana did. I'd say a 1 loss B1G team should make it to the playoff before a 3 loss SEC team.

[DrJacksPlaidPants]

After what I saw yesterday from Bama, Indiana would beat them by two scores. Milroe is a pretty terrible QB. He has two plays. Break contain and run or chuck it deep to the Freshman. 

[30Duck]

On 11/24/2024 at 2:27 PM, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

Milroe is a pretty terrible QB. He has two plays. Break contain and run or chuck it deep to the Freshman. 

UW fans are loving this, so, a bit of a break to DeBoer, you can't get a QB more different from Penix than Milroe.

[GangGreen2]

On 11/24/2024 at 11:38 AM, Charles Fischer said:

 

Let that sink in!

[Dave23]

On 11/24/2024 at 3:27 PM, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

Milroe is a pretty terrible QB. He has two plays. Break contain and run or chuck it deep to the Freshman. 

He would make a great WR if he can catch the ball otherwise might be a little tall for an RB.

[DrJacksPlaidPants]

On 11/24/2024 at 5:37 PM, Dave23 said:

He would make a great WR if he can catch the ball otherwise might be a little tall for an RB.

He reminds me of Jalen Hurts. Hurts was a horrible passer, but was coachable. Maybe he finds the right coach with the right system.

[Nevada Dawg]

Trust me guys, Indiana will not miss out on the playoffs at the expense of having to include Alabama. I see no path for the Tide to sniff the promised land this year. I've thought all year that this was the most erratic Georgia team of the past five years, but Alabama is far more extreme in this regard than the Dawgs. I have been very critical of Indiana's SOS and still am, but they can't help that the B1G has a bunch of really mediocre teams, and they played well enough at the 'Shoe to convince me that they are a lock for the playoffs with a win over Purdue, hardly a formidable challenge.

 

My opinion on critics of the SEC playing 8 league games is that you might want to see whom SEC teams are playing OOC before labeling these opponents "cupcakes". Two of Georgia's cupcakes this year are Clemson (still in the playoff picture) and Georgia Tech, whom you may remember hung a long overdue loss on Miami. Come play an SEC schedule and see how you fare before throwing barbs. I posted just such a suggestion a couple days ago on the forum here for cross-fertilization between the SEC and B1G that I'd really like to see actually happen (but won't). Too bad IMHO.

 

 

[Mike West]

When is it ever justifiable to place a 9-3 team in the playoffs?

 

If all three losses are to a  ranked team (1-15).

 

Losing two games to unranked teams is not acceptable.  Especially when those teams barley scratch .500 in conference play.

 

Indiana lost to one of the best teams on the road.  Made uncharacteristic mistakes at that 

 

Indiana has some coaching flaws in my opinion.  They had two weeks to prepare for the obvious: Ohio State can't pressure the QB unless they bring the house.  

 

That's a lesson for all the playoff teams.  Including Indiana if they reach the playoffs.

 

As to Bama and Ole Miss...they are simply above average teams that will consistently lose games like they lost yesterday.  That is not playoff material in my eyes 

 

I don't believe Tennessee is that far off.  A&M better show their stuff, because they are essentially playing playoff games the rest of their season.  

 

I believe the playoff committee knows how to keep college football popular.  Just tick people off, stir controversy, and let the teams settle it on the field. 

[Tandaian]

It will be interesting to see how the CFP ranks teams.  I'll just compare Alabama and Clemson, the #12 and #13 in the AP poll. 

 

Clemson has lost to UGA (9-2) and Louisville (7-4).  Best wins Pitt (7-4) and Virginia (5-6).  If they beat South Carolina, it will be their 2nd win vs a Power 4 team with a winning record.

 

Alabama has lost to Vandy (6-5), Tenn (9-2) and Oklahoma (6-5).  Best wins UGA (9-2), South Carolina (8-3), Missouri (8-3), LSU (7-4).

 

Alabama's losses are worse than Clemson's, but their wins are better than Clemson's, even with the 3 or 4 auto non-conference wins some SEC teams have.

 

I honestly don't know who is better between Alabama and Clemson.