Indiana Coach Cignetti Rips CFP Rankings After Hoosiers Fall to No. 9

WHO:

Fox News - Fox News reported that Miami and Boise State were underrated in Bill Connelly’s comparison, while Kentucky and South Carolina were ranked too high by the committee.

Bleacher Report - Curt Cignetti is Indiana’s head coach; the Hoosiers are Indiana’s football team.

Bleacher Report - Cignetti criticized the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings in a social media post.

Bleacher Report - Cignetti previously said the SEC receives “a lot of love from the ESPN, and all their writers that they don't technically pay, but march to their drum.”

Bleacher Report - Cignetti made that earlier comment to Don Fischer on the Inside IU Football radio show.

Fox News - Hunter Yurachek is the CFP selection committee chair; Fox News reported that his post-release explanations had not clarified the committee’s decisions.

Fox News - Ian Miller is a writer at OutKick.

WHAT:

Fox News - Miami ranked No. 2 in Connelly’s metrics, five spots above its CFP poll position; Boise State was nine spots below its metrics ranking in the CFP poll, and South Carolina was eight spots above its metrics ranking.

Fox News - Connelly’s metrics ranked Ohio State in the top 15 despite three losses to Texas, USC and Oregon, citing its win over Indiana and dominance against opponents such as Iowa. The metrics also ranked LSU higher than the committee did, crediting its performances in losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky.

Fox News - Kentucky was described as the committee’s biggest ranking miss; Fox said the committee gave it substantial credit for its SEC schedule despite its performances.

Fox News - The average SEC team was ranked 2.5 spots higher in the committee poll than in Connelly’s performance-based rankings, even including LSU’s eight-place difference.

Fox News - Fox reported that computer-driven metrics do not account for Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin’s injury.

Bleacher Report - Indiana fell five places, from No. 4 in the first CFP ranking to No. 9 in the second; Alabama, UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas and Tennessee were ranked ahead of the Hoosiers.

Bleacher Report - Cignetti posted: “Bad losses don't count anymore? Are first downs still 10 yards?” The post included laughing and clown emojis.

Bleacher Report - Indiana was 8-1 after losing to its only ranked opponent so far, Ohio State. Its nonconference opponents were North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky; its last two wins, at Michigan and against Minnesota, went to overtime.

Bleacher Report - UCLA was 9-0; Alabama was 7-2, with losses to No. 2 Georgia and No. 14 Tennessee; Notre Dame was 8-1, with a loss to No. 8 BYU.

Bleacher Report - Texas and Tennessee were each 7-2. Texas lost consecutive games to Oklahoma and Florida after holding the AP Top 25’s No. 1 position; Tennessee lost to South Carolina as well as top-ranked Texas.

Fox News - Fox’s article compared the committee poll with ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s blended metrics, which use an 80/20 combination of resume rankings, strength of record and football power index, plus forward-looking ratings.

Fox News - The article said nine SEC teams were in the CFP top 25 and that seven ranked higher in the committee poll than in Connelly’s metrics. It reported Missouri at No. 22 in the poll and No. 28 in Connelly’s rankings.

WHERE:

Bleacher Report - Indiana was scheduled to host No. 18 USC.

WHEN:

Bleacher Report - Cignetti made his earlier radio-show comments on Nov. 4.

Bleacher Report - Indiana lost to Ohio State on Oct. 17.

WHY:

Bleacher Report - Indiana could improve its standing with a win over No. 18 USC.

HOW:

Fox News - Connelly’s ratings adjust for opponents and emphasize offensive, defensive and special-teams efficiency; Fox described them as a comparison to the committee’s rankings.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti criticized playoff rankings after the Hoosiers fell from fourth to ninth. He questioned whether bad losses still mattered, as Indiana prepared to host USC. Separate metrics rated Miami and Boise State too low, while Kentucky and South Carolina ranked too high.