Has Indiana Clinched Top 2 Seed in College Football Playoff? CFP Chair Answers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football enters Saturday's Big Ten championship game against Ohio State with its eyes set on making history and celebrating underneath confetti at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The No. 2 Hoosiers (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) have never won the Big Ten title, let alone played in the championship game. They've never been ranked No. 1, a title that currently belongs to the Buckeyes (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) but will be up for grabs at 8 p.m. Saturday. There are Heisman Trophy implications surrounding both quarterbacks in Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State's Julian Sayin.

But there are also natural College Football Playoff implications. Indiana and Ohio State are the last two unbeaten teams in the FBS and the rightful owners of the top two seeds in each of the CFP's rankings thus far.

The winner takes the top spot in the final rankings. The loser? That's a murkier situation.

A reporter asked Hunter Yurachek, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee chair, whether there's a way the loser of the Big Ten championship game can fall outside the top two, or if Indiana and Ohio State are set at the top regardless of the order.

"That's hard to predict without knowing the result of that game and what each of the teams look like in that game," Yurachek said Tuesday night. "We'll wait until the end of the championship games as they're played Friday and Saturday, and then we'll re-rank the teams accordingly."

There are five 11-1 teams directly below Indiana in the rankings in No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 7 Texas A&M. In the event the Hoosiers lose Saturday and drop in the rankings, their floor is likely No. 4, as they own a 30-20 victory over Oregon and figure to finish above the Ducks in the final selection.

The top four seeds receive first-round byes in the College Football Playoff, guaranteeing a trip to the quarterfinal round. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said Sunday he doesn't think either team in the Big Ten championship game should inherently assume it has clinched a top four seed.

"I think you're playing this game for a reason," Cignetti said. "A Big Ten championship means an awful lot, and I think the way you play should mean something, because it's a game. It'll be the last thing you put on the field, and I don't expect any handouts. We've earned everything up to this point, and we've got to earn it on Saturday."

Ohio State coach Ryan Day has a different perspective.

"You’re not supposed to be penalized for playing in the conference championship," Day said Sunday. "So, yeah, both teams should get a first round bye."

Common wisdom suggests Day is correct, and the Hoosiers and Buckeyes certainly appear destined to receive an automatic bid to the quarterfinal round. But the outcome won't be final until noon Sunday, when the College Football Playoff selection committee reveals its final rankings.

"We'll re-rank the teams, 1 through 25," Yurachek said. "We're not projecting as a committee what will happen this week, but I think you can read between the lines that there's some teams in the top 25 that are in pretty good shape to make the playoff."