Week 12 Games To Keep An Eye On With Indiana Football In The Playoff Chase

Games elsewhere that Indiana fans should be in-tune with when it comes to the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff rankings.

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) drops back to pass as Mississippi Rebels defensive Jared Ivey (15) rushes during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Georgia has to win this week against Tennessee to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football is off this week, but that doesn’t mean Hoosier fans get the weekend off from scoreboard watching.

There are important games in both the context of the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff rankings that will impact Indiana’s place in the pecking order.

Results elsewhere could help Indiana rise or fall depending on how Hoosier-friendly those results might be.

Here’s a look at what to watch around college football this weekend and how the games relate to Indiana’s fate.

Big Ten Watch

• No. 2 Ohio State (8-1, 5-1) vs. Northwestern (4-5, 2-4) at Wrigley Field, Noon Saturday, BTN: Northwestern switches venues from its Lake Michigan-adjacent Martin Stadium to Wrigley Field as big draw Ohio State visits.

Stage is Set at The Friendly Confines. pic.twitter.com/ClWn7IP9mc

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) November 14, 2024

The Wildcats have been poor more often than good in 2024. They did push Indiana a bit on Oct. 5 before the Hoosiers prevailed, 41-24. Northwestern rose up and decked Maryland 37-10 a week later on the strength of four forced turnovers. Since then, Northwestern has lost two games by wide margins and needed overtime to defeat Purdue two weeks ago.

Obviously, an Ohio State loss would increase Indiana’s odds of making the Big Ten championship game.

• No. 4 Penn State (8-1, 5-1) at Purdue (1-8, 0-6), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS: Indiana fans will gleefully refuse to do so, but spare a thought for Purdue and the schedule the Boilermakers have had in Big Ten play.

Purdue has played or will play Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State and Indiana on the road. Home games were Nebraska, Oregon, Northwestern and now Penn State. That’s rough.

Penn State is 16-3-1 against Purdue all-time and has won 10 in a row over the Boilermakers. While Indiana fans are once again in the odd position of wanting Purdue to win, no one should be holding their breath.

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel posts a video on social media on his way off the field after defeating Maryland at Autzen Stadium Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• No. 1 Oregon (10-0, 7-0) at Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC: The Badgers have a clear line of distinction – they beat the lesser lights consistently and lose to the higher powers with equal predictability.

Against ranked teams – and this includes Southern California, which was ranked at the time but has since fallen apart – Wisconsin is 0-3. The closest game of the trio is a 15-point home loss against Penn State. The vibe isn’t good in Madison. Program legend Barry Alvarez said on a radio show this week that he doesn’t know what Wisconsin’s offensive identity is. That’s not good for coach Luke Fickell.

Despite all of that, Indiana fans should hum a bar of “On Wisconsin” and hope for the best from the Badgers, who could put Indiana in first place by themselves with an upset win over the top-ranked Ducks.

College Football Playoff Rankings Watch

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Silas Bolden (11) advances the ball during the Longhorns' game against the Florida Gators, Nov. 9, 2024 at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. / Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• No. 3 Texas (8-1) at Arkansas (5-4), Noon Saturday, ABC: If you loved the dearly departed Southwest Conference, this game now being a Southeastern Conference game is tantamount to blasphemy.

The Razorbacks did beat Tennessee on home turf earlier this season, so the upset win that the Hoosiers would prefer to get from the Hogs over the Longhorns is not out of the realm of possibility.

• Mercer (9-1) at No. 10 Alabama (7-2), 2 p.m. Saturday, ESPN-Plus: The Big Ten plays its cupcakes early while SEC teams load up on them late. Which is the right approach? Who knows? And, quite frankly, who cares? These games are bad whatever conference they’re played in and whatever time of year they take place.

Mercer is a good FCS team headed to the FCS playoffs, but Alabama should be able to handle the Bears on home turf regardless of Hoosier hopes of the upset to end all upsets.

• Boston College (5-4) at No. 14 SMU (8-1), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN: Can someone explain why SMU is so far behind Miami among ACC teams in the rankings? The Mustangs won at Louisville and beat then-ranked Pittsburgh convincingly. SMU’s lone loss was a three-point squeaker against BYU. Miami won at Louisville by the same margin, squeaked by several ACC lesser lights, and lost by five at uneven Georgia Tech. 

This game doesn’t impact Indiana too much – SMU has work to do to catch up beyond just one win. But the Mustangs, a potential playoff opponent for Indiana, are worth keeping an eye on.

Notre Dame safety Jordan Clark (1) celebrates his interception during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend. / MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

• Virginia (5-4) at No. 8 Notre Dame (8-1), 3:30 p.m. Saturday, NBC: Notre Dame has scored 50-plus in its last two games, including a 52-3 wipeout of Florida State last Saturday. The Fighting Irish are another possible playoff opponent for Indiana – be it in Bloomington or South Bend depending on how things shake out.

Indiana fans should be rooting for the Cavaliers, fresh off a 24-19 road win at Pittsburgh, so the Hoos are capable.

• No. 13 Boise State (8-1) at San Jose State (6-3), 7 p.m. Saturday, CBS Sports Network: Not a contest that influences Indiana much one way or another as the Broncos have the fifth-best conference champion route to the bracket, but worth watching as Boise State is yet another team Indiana could see in the playoffs. San Jose State won’t be a pushover. The Spartans pushed No. 18 Washington State to the limit in Pullman, Wash., on Sept. 20 before the Cougars escaped with a 54-52 victory.

• No. 7 Tennessee (8-1, 5-1) at No. 12 Georgia (7-2, 5-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC: The game of the week as far as playoff implications go. From Indiana’s point of view, neither result is helpful. A Tennessee road win at Georgia would vault the Volunteers past the Hoosiers in the CFP rankings, but given how fickle and prone to the moment the CFP committee seems to be, a Georgia win might vault the Bulldogs into the Hoosiers’ range, too. After all, they did drop Georgia nine spots for a road loss at Ole Miss.

One thing is for certain: Georgia can’t lose again, so there will be an air of urgency at Sanford Stadium. Should be a good one.

• Kansas (3-6) at No. 6 BYU (9-0), 10:15 p.m. Saturday, ESPN: By now, you may have heard about the controversial defensive holding call that kept a BYU drive alive to beat Utah late last Saturday. Utah’s athletic director went ballistic about it after the game, though a since-revealed angle taken by a fan confirms that it was a good call.

This is the best video I've seen of the holding call. This is definitely MORE than a typical hands battle off the line and the Ute defender was going to get beat. This was shot by my cousin who was at the game. pic.twitter.com/azmNB3L2fk

— ΠΛSĦ (@nashDPT12) November 12, 2024

BYU escaped, and what should be of concern is lack of concentration. The Cougars squandered a chance to kick a field goal before halftime with formation confusion. BYU also didn’t handle Utah’s pass rush well. This game is in Provo and should be one where the Cougars handle the Jayhawks, but Kansas is playing better of late, including a 45-36 win over Iowa State that knocked the Cyclones out of the rankings.

• Idle teams within range of Indiana: No. 9 Miami, No. 11 Ole Miss.

Related stories on Indiana football

• INDIANA CFP SCENARIOS: What is the road ahead for the Hoosiers and the College Football Playoff? CLICK HERE.

• CIGNETTI GIVEN OVATION AT RADIO SHOW: Curt Cignetti was given a standing ovation by fans at his weekly radio show on Thursday night. CLICK HERE.

• INDIANA TO NO. 5 IN CFP RANKINGS: Indiana moved up three spots in the College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA OFFENSE, CAUSE FOR CONCERN? Indiana's offensive numbers are down in its last three games. A reverseable situation or an unwelcome trend? CLICK HERE.