Indiana ranked No. 8 in 1st College Football Playoff ranking

Election night may have all your attention but the first College Football Playoff Rankings were released tonight with Indiana coming in at No. 8 in the nation
Indiana's Ke'Shawn Williams runs after a catch against Michigan State during the third quarter on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
Indiana's Ke'Shawn Williams runs after a catch against Michigan State during the third quarter on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit

In the first reveal of the College Football Playoff rankings — the Indiana Hoosiers debut at No. 8 overall in the country.

Revealed during the committee’s initial top 25, the Hoosiers landed in the top 12 that would, if the season ended today, qualify them for the College Football Playoff.

The first bracket revealed that Indiana is the ninth seed in the field, despite landing No. 8 overall. That's because the top four seeds (each of which comes with a first-round bye) go to the four highest-rated conference champions.

Indiana is just ahead the BYU Cougars at No. 9, followed by No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 11 Alabama, Boise State drew the No. 12 overall ranking, the highest-rated Group of Five program that is currently on pace to win the Mountain West.

College Football Playoff Committee Chairman Warde Manuel, the athletic director at Michigan, commented on Indiana’s case during the ESPN broadcast when the rankings were revealed.

Indiana, their strength of schedule is not as strong as BYU, but what Indiana has done on the field, when we look at those games, they’re winning by double-digits. They’re averaging 33 points a game more than their opponents. They’re solid on both sides – offensively and defensively. They’re just a really great team,” Manuel said.

Other B1G teams ranked in the top 12 were No. 1. Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State,

Indiana will take on Michigan on Saturday at 3:30pm ET.

Here is a look at the first set of CFP rankings for the 2024 college football season:

Here is a look at the first set of CFP rankings for the 2024 college football season:

1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Miami (Fla.)
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. BYU
10. Notre Dame
11. Alabama
12. Boise State

13. SMU
14. Texas A&M