Stiffing SEC football teams will damage Selection Committee credibility

Ohio State could do the Playoff Selection Committee a big favor on Saturday. The Buckeyes could trash Indiana making it clear the Hoosiers have been ranked too high. Multiple SEC football teams would benefit from such a result.

The committee is not likely to be so lucky. If the Hoosiers can lose by no more than two touchdowns, The Selection Committee will have a dilemma. How many two-loss SEC football teams will the committee rank above Indiana next Tuesday?

There is an even bigger question that demands an answer. Assuming Indiana loses to Ohio State (and they may not), what about the Big Ten's other too-highly ranked team; the Penn State Nittany Lions?

Before Tuesday night's Playoff ranking, Todd McShay summed up the situation perfectly. "In what world is Penn State and Indiana BETTER than Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Tennessee?… They’re just NOT." McShay took some heat for his statement, but somebody needed to say it because it was true.

Indiana's two best wins are 31-17 over Washington and 56-7 over Nebraska. The Huskies are 6-5; the Cornhuskers are 5-5 and have lost four straight games. Penn State's two best wins are 21-7 over Illinois and 35-6 over Washington. Illinois is 7-3 and ranked by the Selection Committee at No. 25.

At one point Indiana's 2024 schedule included a road game at Louisville. The Hoosiers canceled the game and added FCS Western Illinois to the 2024 schedule. The Leathernecks are 3-8 this season, with a schedule including two opponents unknown to all but a few college football fans.

Indiana's two top wins are over opponents with a combined 10 losses. Penn State's best two wins are over opponents who have lost a combined eight games. Alabama's best two wins (Georgia and South Carolina) have combined for five losses.

SEC Football and Strength of Schedule

Fifteen SEC football teams have a Strength of Schedule (SOS) higher than Penn State. The Nittany Lions have an SOS of No. 35. Georgia's SOS is No. 1; Alabama's is No. 16; Tennessee's is No. 18; Ole Miss is No. 29. For added perspective Auburn has an SOS of No. 34. The SOS for the Indiana Hoosiers is No. 106.

Todd McShay was spot on; especially with the three words 'in what world'. The Selection Committee can be expected to ignore how 'what world' applies to Penn State. Unless Ohio State does the committee a big favor on Saturday, ignoring the overrated reality of Indiana will not be acceptable.

Note: SOS rankings provided by the ESPN FPI. Team win-loss records and scores provided by Sports Reference.