Mark Ingram discusses impact of Indiana vs. Ohio State on College Football Playoff field

Indiana is still undefeated and, as a result, still very much part of the 12-team College Football Playoff discussion. The 9-0 Hoosiers clocked in at No. 8 in the CFP selection committee’s first rankings Tuesday night.

That ranking raised an important question: Does a one-loss Indiana team that plays a close game against Ohio State in Columbus get left out because of a two-loss SEC team?

“The Triple Option” podcast took a swing at answering that question Wednesday.

“Their strength of schedule is very questionable, like we understand that. We get it,” longtime commentator Rob Stone said of Indiana, which currently boasts the 103rd-ranked strength of schedule, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

“But what they’re doing with their schedule? They’re dismantling teams.”

Indiana has made a statement in its first year under head coach Curt Cignetti. Up until last week’s game against Michigan State, the transfer-heavy Hoosiers had yet to trail an opponent this season. And Indiana quickly bounced back from its 10-point hole versus the Spartans with 47 straight points to end the day.

Here’s a look at what Cignetti’s squad has done this season:

• 31-7 win vs. FIU
• 77-3 win vs. Western Illinois
• 42-13 win at UCLA
• 52-14 win vs. Charlotte
• 42-28 win vs. Maryland
• 41-24 win at Northwestern
• 56-7 win vs. Nebraska
• 31-17 win vs. Washington
• 47-10 win at Michigan State

“All you can do is play who’s on your schedule,” former NFL and Alabama running back Mark Ingram said on “The Triple Option” podcast Wednesday. “But where you start matters. They’re at No. 8. If they were at No. 10, 11, that’s a possibility — at No. 8, you don’t drop more than three spots with a loss to Ohio State.

“So they run the table at No. 8, and they lose to Ohio State, you can’t bump down more than four spots. Even if they bump down four spots, they’re 12. So a one-loss Indiana team does not get left out over a two-loss SEC team, in my opinion, depending on how they play that game [against Ohio State].”

That Big Ten top-10 showdown is still close to three weeks away. The No. 2 Buckeyes, coming off an inspired win at No. 6 Penn State, have to handle business against Purdue and Northwestern in the meantime. The Hoosiers are hosting a 5-4 Michigan team before a well-timed off week leading up to their trip to Columbus.

Ohio State has won 28 straight games in the series. The Buckeyes could make it 29 in a row later this month, however, a competitive performance from Indiana could keep the Hoosiers’ Cinderella story alive.

“And listen, you know, the Big Ten is gonna be fighting for that, right?” Stone said. “Because there is back room conversations right now. The Big Ten wants as many programs in there as possible. Ditto for the SEC.”

Then Ingram chimed in with a bold declaration.

“I want Penn State to play Indiana because they might get beat by Indiana,” Ingram said. “Right now, they line up, I think they get beat.”

The Hoosiers are the most surprising team in college football this year, and their first College Football Playoff ranking bodes well for their postseason aspirations.