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Indiana imposter? Embarrassing first half reignites SEC’s CFP snub conversation
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Indiana was handed the No. 10 seed in the College Football Playoff after an 11-1 season. As a 1-loss team from the Big Ten, it seemed like a fine decision on the surface and, for the most part, it received very little pushback from the masses.
With Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss all excluded following 9-3 seasons, most of the conversation centered around whether SMU was deserving of its spot. The Mustangs lost the ACC title game but got in anyway as the No. 11 seed. The résumé was picked apart. Their wins were questioned, and their worthiness was a persistent topic of debate.
Perhaps Indiana should have been dissected more.
Indiana’s résumé wasn’t arguably worse. Per FEI, Indiana’s strength of schedule ranked well below SMU’s. The Hoosiers didn’t have a single win over an AP-ranked opponent and, in their biggest game of the season, they got flattened by Ohio State.
Against another AP Top 10 team on Friday night, Indiana went into the half trailing 17-3.
Notre Dame threw an interception on its opening drive of the game Friday night in the first-round CFP matchup, but it responded to that pick with a defensive takeaway and then a 98-yard score from tailback Jeremiyah Love.
Indiana punted the ball back to Notre Dame after another unsuccessful possession and didn’t get the ball back for more than 9 minutes. After the 1-play touchdown strike, Notre Dame drove 83 yards in 16 plays to score again and go up 14-0.
The Hoosiers added a field goal late in the second quarter, but they averaged just 4.6 yards per play in an unsightly first half. Notre Dame controlled both lines of scrimmage, rushing for 9.1 yards per play while holding IU to 3.6 yards per run.
And as Indiana struggled to hold its own on the field, the conversation on social media quickly shifted to those snubs from the SEC.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
