Indiana Drops Five Spots To No. 10 In AP Football Poll

Indiana’s place in the Top 25 reflects 38-15 loss at Ohio State and upsets elsewhere in college football.

Indiana Hoosiers running back Ty Son Lawton (17) reacts after a touchdown run during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For every college football playoff contender, the all-important College Football Playoff rankings are what matter at this time of year. Those are set to be released at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

However, the Associated Press Top 25 often provides a window into what to expect on Tuesday. If that’s the case, Indiana might still find itself in the College Football Playoff field even though the Hoosiers suffered a 38-15 loss at Ohio State on Saturday.

Indiana dropped five spots in the Top 25 to the No. 10 spot in the latest AP poll released on Sunday.

Naturally, given that the 10-1 Hoosiers suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, it was the first time the Hoosiers dropped in the AP Top 25 since they debuted in the poll on Sept. 29.

According to collegepolltracker.com, Indiana was on the ballot of every AP voter. The Hoosiers were bunched in a tight range in the voting. Not ranked any higher than No. 6 or lower than No. 14 on anyone's ballot.

The Top 25 does bring into relief Indiana’s precarious position in the playoff pecking order, but it also reveals that Indiana’s CFP hopes are still very much alive.

If the AP Top 25 was used to determine the College Football Playoff field, Indiana would make the field as the last at-large team in.

Oregon, Texas, Miami and Boise State would be seeded 1-4 as the best conference champions. Arizona State would be seeded in the No. 12 spot as the fifth-best conference champion.

Using the AP Top 25, the first round games would then be: Arizona State at Ohio State, Indiana at Penn State, SMU at Notre Dame, Tennessee at Georgia.

Indiana is one of five Big Ten teams in the AP Top 25 as the league dominates the top of the poll. No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 22 Illinois join the Hoosiers in the Top 25.

Indiana was also ranked 10th in the coaches’ poll released on Sunday. The top 10 in the coaches’ poll is the same as the AP Top 25.

Here’s the full AP Top 25:

1. Oregon, 11-0 (61), 1,525 points

2. Ohio State, 10-1, 1,463

3. Texas, 10-1, 1,395

4. Penn State, 10-1, 1,301

5. Notre Dame, 10-1, 1,278

6. Georgia, 9-2, 1,242

7. Tennessee, 9-2, 1,110

8. Miami (Fla.), 10-1, 1,096

9. SMU, 10-1, 1,001

10. Indiana, 10-1, 998

11. Boise State, 10-1, 984

12. Clemson, 9-2, 789

13. Alabama, 8-3, 739

14. Arizona State, 9-2, 727

15. Ole Miss, 8-3, 661

16. South Carolina, 8-3, 639

17. Iowa State, 9-2, 498

18. Tulane, 9-2, 446

19. BYU, 9-2, 445

20. Texas A&M, 8-3, 399

21. UNLV, 9-2, 231

22. Illinois, 8-3, 188

23. Colorado, 8-3, 161

24. Missouri, 8-3, 142

25. Army, 9-1, 133

Other receiving votes (numbers listed are points assigned for votes, not the vote total): Kansas State (8-3) 98, Memphis (9-2) 46, Syracuse (8-3) 37, Louisville (7-4) 24, Washington State (8-3) 10, Duke (8-3) 6, Louisiana (9-2) 5, Florida (6-5) 4, LSU (7-4) 2, Georgia Tech (7-4) 2.

Related stories on Indiana football

• GAME STORY: The story from Ohio Stadium as the No. 5 Hoosiers fall to the No. 2 Buckeyes 38-15 on Saturday. CLICK HERE.

• THE DAY AFTER: How did Hoosiers On SI do on their three keys and score prediction for the Ohio State game? CLICK HERE.

• MY TWO CENTS: One loss does not wipe out Indiana's playoff worthiness. CLICK HERE.

• TODD'S TAKE: Ohio State took Indiana seriously and the Hoosiers paid a heavy price. CLICK HERE.

• EVERYTHING CURT CIGNETTI SAID: Curt Cignetti's comments to the media after Indiana's 38-15 loss to Ohio State on Saturday. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Follow along with all of the action as Indiana took on Ohio State on Saturday. CLICK HERE.