Margin Between Indiana, Texas A&M 'Really, Really Close' to CFP Committee

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football remained No. 2 in the College Football Playoff committee's updated poll Tuesday night, but the Hoosiers' margin over No. 3 Texas A&M appears razor thin.

College Football Playoff Selection Committee chair Mack Rhoades said in a conference call Tuesday the group's longest discussion centered around No. 6 Texas Tech and No. 7 Ole Miss, with the Red Raiders ultimately getting the nod.

The second-longest conversation was about Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) and Texas A&M (9-0, 6-0 SEC).

"When you look at both of these teams, they're really close," Rhoades said. "They're really close defensively. Give Indiana the edge. And they're really close offensively. Certainly gave Indiana the slight edge there. Indiana finding a way to win. Fernando Mendoza, the second rated quarterback in passing efficiency.

"Those were all conversations. But again, that was the second longest discussion in the room. Two really, really good teams, really, really close."

Rhoades noted the committee discussed Indiana's 27-24 win over Penn State and Texas A&M's 38-17 road win at Missouri this past week, but deeper conversations stemmed from both teams' body of work.

The committee valued Indiana's road wins over No. 8 Oregon and No. 21 Iowa, while Rhoades touted the Aggies' 41-40 road victory against No. 9 Notre Dame on Sept. 13.

Though Missouri entered Week 11 ranked No. 19 in the committee's rankings, Rhoades acknowledged the now-unranked Tigers aren't quite themselves with their top two quarterbacks, Sam Horn and Beau Pribula, each sidelined due to injury. Missouri is starting true freshman Matt Zollers under center.

"Missouri (is) a really good team but probably not the team that they've been," Rhoades said. "They're starting their third quarterback, a true freshman. That's a really tough spot for that young man."

Subsequently, the Aggies' road win wasn't enough to overtake the Hoosiers.

The primary argument to place Texas A&M above Indiana centers around scheduling and results. The Aggies have the No. 1 strength of record, which, according to ESPN, "reflects (the) chance that an average top 25 team would have team's record or better, given the schedule." Indiana is No. 2 in the category, while top-ranked Ohio State is No. 3.

Texas A&M also has the highest strength of schedule, ranking No. 15 while Indiana checks in at No. 33 and Ohio State at No. 41.

Rhoades said the committee weighed both attributes but deemed the Aggies' advantage too miniscule to overcome Indiana's proficiency on both sides of the ball.

"Again, when we look at schedule strength and record strength, just two of the metrics, those teams are very, very close," Rhoades said. "I mean, extremely, extremely close. When we look at those two, again, defensively, Indiana, we give them the edge over A&M.

"We give Indiana certainly the edge — offensively, they're the top scoring offense in the country. Their defense is ranked second."

The committee feels the race is entirely for second place, as Ohio State is the "really clear consensus in the room" for the top team in the country.

"Felt like the most complete team," Rhoades said. "Really good defensively, particularly up front. Offensively, again, really good. Their offensive line play is outstanding. They have the great playmakers in Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. The quarterback, (Julian) Sayin, right now leads the country in passing efficiency and completion percentage.

"Those are all reasons why Ohio State, again, clear consensus for the committee for them to remain at No. 1."

Indiana and Ohio State are on a collision course to meet Dec. 6 in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis. Perhaps the biggest question still remaining is, if both teams win out, whether the Hoosiers keep the No. 2 spot — because there appears no catching the Buckeyes, while the Aggies are, in the committee's eyes, gaining ground.