Indiana fell from No. 4 to No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings released on Tuesday, November 11, 2026, dropping five spots during a bye week.
The Hoosiers held the No. 4 spot in the selection committee’s initial rankings before sliding to No. 9 without taking the field. The five-spot drop marks the largest fall for an idle team in the CFP’s seasons, according to reporting by The Hoosier Network.
Yurachek Explains How Schedule Strength Affected Indiana Rankings
CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek addressed the decision during the ranking reveal, pointing to results across the top 25 that affected Indiana’s strength of schedule and strength of record. Every Big Ten opponent the Hoosiers faced up to that point had lost their recent matchups, diminishing the value of past wins.
“Indiana was probably the victim of having a bye week at the wrong time, a time where there were seven games within our top 25,” Yurachek said, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Analysts and fans questioned the logic immediately. ESPN’s Greg McElroy defended the committee’s adjustment during the broadcast, arguing that the ranking corrected an earlier oversight regarding the team’s overall resume, while colleague Rece Davis said that multiple programs jumped past the Hoosiers as other top-25 teams suffered losses.
Indiana dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 in this week's CFP rankings 👀 The crew breaks down why ✍️ pic.twitter.com/MAsoaDcegF
“There’s a reason they dropped.” “They had Notre Dame ranked too low, in my judgment.” They had Notre Dame ranked too low, and once they moved Notre Dame up, a lot of teams moved past them, Davis said, according to coverage by AOL.
Indiana Maintains High Postseason Probability Despite Ranking Drop
Despite the tumble in the rankings, Indiana retains an 81.1 percent probability of making the postseason according to the PFN CFB Playoff Meter cited by Yahoo Sports. The Hoosiers control their own path toward a Big Ten championship appearance if they win out their regular-season schedule.
"Indiana, it's simple! If you don't like that seed that you're in right now, go beat a ranked USC team!" 👀@RJ_cfb reacts to Indiana dropping to No. 9 in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings.#scoreboard pic.twitter.com/9uWeIj5zvp
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti declined to engage with ranking debates during his weekly availability, turning his focus toward the team’s next opponent. “I’m really focused on this game,” Cignetti said on Monday.
The Hoosiers host No. 18 USC at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, November 14, 2026, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The defending national champions hold an 8-1 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference play following home wins over Northwestern and Minnesota and road victories against Michigan, Rutgers, and Nebraska, with their lone defeat coming against Ohio State at Memorial Stadium in Week 7.
If the postseason started under the current standings, Indiana would travel to face No. 8 Tennessee in a first-round matchup with the winner advancing to meet No. 1 Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Winning out the final three regular-season contests against USC, Washington, and Purdue secures a spot in the Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, December 5.
Indiana drops 5 spots on a BYE week. Looks like that committee didn't appreciate Curt Cignetti's comments this week
The second set of College Football Playoff rankings placed Georgia at No. 1, Utah at No. 2, Alabama at No. 3, UCLA at No. 4, Notre Dame at No. 5, Texas at No. 6, Miami at No. 7, and Tennessee at No. 8 ahead of the Hoosiers.
Rounding out the top 25 were BYU at No. 10, Kentucky at No. 11, Texas Tech at No. 12, Wake Forest at No. 13, Houston at No. 14, Iowa at No. 15, Oregon at No. 16, South Carolina at No. 17, USC at No. 18, Ole Miss at No. 19, Ohio State at No. 20, LSU at No. 21, Missouri at No. 22, Arizona at No. 23, Boise State at No. 24, and Oklahoma State at No. 25.
This week’s CFP Rankings. pic.twitter.com/dKBuWyeNHN
Earlier coverage: College Football Playoff Rankings Spark Debate Over SEC Bias
Wow, Indiana falls FIVE spots on a bye week. Hoosiers' Big Ten resume took several hits this weekend, but that's a massive drop for a team that didn't play.
More on Indiana
Hunter Yurachek says Indiana was "a victim of having a bye week at the wrong time" bc of so many teams right around them getting big wins (UCLA, ND), and also notes that all 6 of the Big Ten teams they've played lost over the weekend.
I think Indiana was ranked too high last week, so I'm fine with them at No. 9, but this is why these weekly shows do such a disservice. It appears like they got worse on a bye week.
No. 9 Indiana fell five spots in the CFP rankings during a bye week. Jake Butt shares his thoughts on that and talks about the big data point coming in Week 11 vs. No. 18 USC 👇 pic.twitter.com/6Cqw2MV1oc
November 🔟 CFP Selection Committee Rankings 9️⃣. Indiana Hoosiers // @IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/3x6FJpRNfC
"How much did head-to-head play into it?" CFP Committee Chairman Hunter Yurachek explains ranking Indiana No. 4 and Alabama No. 5. pic.twitter.com/R2PSPEvWyn
Worth a look
