ESPN's Sean McDonough Calls Out Indiana, Big Ten After 'Dud' Against Notre Dame

"There will be a lot of analysis going forward about whether Indiana was worthy of this."

Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore (15) interrupts a reception attempt by Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (3) during the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The first game of the new 12-team College Football Playoff played out in similar fashion to so many of the semifinal games in the previous four-team iteration. Indiana, the 10-seed, was completely outmatched on the road at Notre Dame, leading to an ugly slugfest.

The Hoosiers were held to 278 yards of offense, and scored both of their touchdowns in the game's last four minutes to claw back the score to 27–17, though the product on the field was far less respectable. Notre Dame was thoroughly dominant thanks to a stifling defense and a run game that racked up 193 yards on the ground, including an incredible 98-yard touchdown by Jeremiyah Love.

Viewers weren't the only ones disappointed by Indiana's subpar showing. Late in the game, ESPN's Sean McDonough didn't shy away from criticizing the Hoosiers, and openly questioning whether they should have been included in the field at all.

"To be honest, this game's been a little bit of a dud. I don't think anybody would deny that," McDonough said late in the fourth quarter. "Disappointing, I think most of us thought it would be a more competitive game, and there will be a lot of analysis going forward about whether Indiana was worthy of this."

The veteran broadcaster didn't limit his criticism to the Hoosiers, arguing that the selection committee shouldn't "presume" that the Big Ten is better than the ACC or Big 12 when making its decisions.

Sean McDonough is not holding back here in garbage time on Indiana's CFP inclusion. "I don't understand why there's this presumption that the Big Ten is so much better than the ACC or Big 12. I'm not sure what that's based on."

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 21, 2024

"I think they need to lose the assumption that the SEC and Big Ten are clearly head and shoulders ahead of everyone else, particularly the Big Ten," McDonough continued in the game's final minute. "The SEC has the recent history—Alabama, Georgia—but the Big Ten's won two national championships in college football since when? 2002? That's 22 seasons."

Those two national titles—Ohio State in 2014 and Michigan last season—both came in the last decade, but his larger point is taken. The SEC has more proven dominance on the game's biggest stage.

Indiana was not the final team in ahead of the last at-large team left out (Alabama). Realistically, all of the three-loss SEC teams left out, as well as a two-loss Miami that hardly impressed down the stretch, had giant holes in their résumés, while the Hoosiers largely handled business all season.

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