The Ohio State Buckeyes covered the betting spread with ease as they throttled the Indiana Hoosiers at home in Week 13.
The Buckeyes came in at No. 2 with the then-undefeated Hoosiers No. 5, marking Ohio State’s third top-five matchup of the season. Ohio State left with a 38-15 victory and a late-game touchdown that iced the cake.
Despite losing by a significant margin, Indiana only dropped to No. 10 in the College Football Playoff ranking, and the CFP Selection Committee chair explained the viewpoint on the Hoosiers as compared to the SMU Mustangs.
He cited the Indiana performance against Ohio State, noting that the Hoosiers “played well at times.”
“Yeah, like I said on the ESPN interview, Indiana played well at times against Ohio State, and obviously Ohio State pulled away in the second half,” Manuel said.
Although the Hoosiers were blown out, let’s just say there are some fans who think Indiana fell too far, especially when looking at the ranking of another high-profile college football program.
1. Alabama loses to 5-5 Oklahoma and drops six spots.
2. Indiana loses to 10-1 Ohio State and drops five.
3. Just say you love the SEC. Don’t lie to us.
— RJ Young (@RJ_Young) November 27, 2024
Playing as a top-five opponent on the road at Ohio Stadium is no easy task, and keeping the game close certainly isn’t for the faint of heart.
With Indiana having scored first and showing some firepower to start the game before the Buckeyes really settled in, it likely did enough Saturday to lock in a CFP spot.