BLOOMINGTON — The College Football Playoff selection committee had Indiana football at No. 4 in the initial set of rankings they released Tuesday night.

The Hoosiers (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) were the highest-ranked team in the Big Ten and would receive a first-round bye based on the current rankings. The top four seeds are 1-7 in the quarterfinals during the 12-team era, but IU became the first team to win a playoff game following a first-round last season.

In 2024, Indiana closed out the year ranked No. 8 following a first-round exit in South Bend. Last season, they reached No. 1 for the first time in program history after beating Ohio State in the Big Ten. They stayed atop the rankings by running the table in the postseason and winning their first national title in football.

The Hoosiers have not ranked outside the top 10 in the CFP rankings since the 2023 season.

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Week 1 CFP Rankings (Nov. 3)

  1. Miami (9-0)
  2. Georgia (8-1)
  3. Utah (8-0)
  4. Indiana (8-1)
  5. Alabama (6-2)
  6. Kentucky (7-1)
  7. Texas (6-2)
  8. UCLA (8-0)
  9. BYU (7-1)
  10. Ole Miss (6-2)
  11. Notre Dame (7-1)
  12. Ohio State (6-2)
  13. Tennessee (6-2)
  14. LSU (6-2)
  15. Texas Tech (7-1)
  16. Wake Forest (7-1)
  17. Houston (6-2)
  18. Missouri (6-2)
  19. Iowa (6-2)
  20. USC (7-2)
  21. South Carolina (5-3)
  22. Arizona (6-2)
  23. Oregon (5-3)
  24. Flordia (5-3)
  25. Boise State (7-1)

How does the College Football Playoff work?

The College Football selection committee build a 12-team field following these guidelines, as outlined on the organization's official website:

  • The conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC receive automatic bids;
  • The highest ranked team from among the Group of Six (American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, and Sun Belt Conferences) gets an automatic bid;
  • The next seven highest-ranked teams fill out the field as at-large selections;
  • Notre Dame makes it if it finishes in the committee's top 12.

The seeding for the bracket follows the rankings with teams ranked in the top four all receiving byes. If an automatic qualifier finishes outside the top 12, it is slotted at the bottom of the bracket at No. 12.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Where one-loss Indiana sits in first College Football Playoff rankings

Source: Yahoo Sports