INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Hoosiers are officially part of the College Football Playoff conversation.
The CFP committee has placed the 9-0 Hoosiers eighth in the first playoff rankings of the season. It's the highest ranking ever for Indiana, which made its only other appearance in the CFP rankings in 2020. The Hoosiers debuted at No. 12 in that poll, finishing the regular season ranked 11th.
Indiana is seeded ninth in the first CFP bracket, as ninth-ranked BYU gets a bye into the quarterfinals as a conference champion. If the tournament started today, the Hoosiers would play at Tennessee, who is ranked as the eighth seed.
The Hoosiers, who are also ranked eighth in this week's Associated Press poll, host Michigan Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m., before a showdown with current AP No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 23. Indiana wraps up its regular season against rival Purdue Nov. 30 in the annual Old Oaken Bucket Game.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are ranked 10th in the initial poll. The Irish would play at Penn State as the bracket stands now.
The CFP committee will rank the top 25 teams in the nation weekly through the end of the regular season, with the final rankings released Sunday, Dec. 8.
The top 12 teams, which will include five conference champions, will play for the national championship. The top four teams will receive byes in the first round, while teams ranked fifth through eighth will host games against teams seeded ninth through 12th.
CFP rankings (Nov. 5, 2024)
1. Oregon 9-0
2. Ohio State 7-1
3. Georgia 7-1
4. Miami 9-0
5. Texas 7-1
6. Penn State 7-1
7. Tennessee 7-1
8. Indiana 9-0
9. BYU 8-0
10. Notre Dame 7-1
11. Alabama 6-2
12. Boise State 7-1
13. SMU 8-1
14. Texas A&M 7-2
15. LSU 6-2
16. Mississippi 7-2
17. Iowa State 7-1
18. Pittsburgh 7-1
19. Kansas State 7-2
20. Colorado 6-2
21. Washington State 7-1
22. Louisville 6-3
23. Clemson 6-2
24. Missouri 6-2
25. Army 8-0