Indiana's College Football Playoff Projections Going Into Regular Season Finale

Despite its loss Saturday at Ohio State, Indiana still looks to be in good shape to make the College Football Playoff.

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) hands off to running back Ty Son Lawton (17) at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana lost its first game of the season Saturday at Ohio State, but that doesn't appear to be enough to knock the Hoosiers out of the College Football Playoff race, as long as they handle Purdue in the regular season finale.

After a 38-15 loss to the second-ranked Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium, Indiana fell from No. 5 to No. 10 in Sunday's AP Top 25 poll. The College Football Playoff committee will release another set of rankings Tuesday night, which at this point of the season is more relevant to the Hoosiers' fate than the AP poll.

Looking at College Football Playoff projections from various national analysts, Indiana still appears to be in good shape to compete for a national championship. In 21 projections listed below, 20 included Indiana in the College Football Playoff, with the No. 9 seed being the most common spot for the Hoosiers.

Indiana got some help around the country over the weekend, with losses from top-25 teams like Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Colorado, BYU and Army. It was especially beneficial for Indiana to see those SEC teams falter, as the conference may only get three teams in the playoff now.

Coach Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers wrap up the 2024 regular season Saturday at 7 p.m. ET against Purdue at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Indiana enters the game with a 10-1 overall record and a 7-1 mark in Big Ten play, while Purdue is 1-10 overall and in last place in the Big Ten with an 0-8 conference record. The game will air on FS1.

Here are recent College Football Playoff projections from various sites.

CBS Sports – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Notre Dame on Dec. 20 or 21 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

USA Today – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Notre Dame on Dec. 20 or 21 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

Action Network – College Football Playoff: No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Texas on Dec. 20 or 21 at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.

Sporting News – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

Bleacher Report – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

The Athletic – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Notre Dame on Dec. 20 or 21 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

247Sports – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Penn State on Dec. 20 or 21 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa.

College Football News – College Football Playoff: No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Tennessee on Dec. 20 or 21 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.

ESPN (Adelson) – College Football Playoff: No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 6 Notre Dame on Dec. 20 or 21 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

ESPN (Bonagura) – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

ESPN (Connelly) – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

ESPN (Hale) – Indiana not projected to make playoffs.

ESPN (Lederman) – College Football Playoff: No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

ESPN (Low) – College Football Playoff: No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

ESPN (Lyles Jr.) – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

ESPN (Olson) – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Georgia on Dec. 20 or 21 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

ESPN (Rittenberg) – College Football Playoff: No. 10 Indiana vs. No. 7 Penn State on Dec. 20 or 21 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa.

ESPN (Schlabach) – College Football Playoff: No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 6 Penn State on Dec. 20 or 21 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa.

ESPN (Trotter) – College Football Playoff: No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 6 Notre Dame on Dec. 20 or 21 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

ESPN (Uggetti) – College Football Playoff: No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Penn State on Dec. 20 or 21 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa.

ESPN (Wilson) – College Football Playoff: No. 11 Indiana vs. No. 6 Notre Dame on Dec. 20 or 21 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

Related stories on Indiana football

• OPENING LINE: Here's the point spread and over/under for Indiana's home game against Purdue, plus betting results from throughout the season. CLICK HERE

• JACK'S TAKE: Indiana should still make the College Football Playoff after Saturday’s 38-15 loss at No. 2 Ohio State. But if it wants to compete with the nation’s best, it must be able to protect quarterback Kurtis Rourke and be undeterred by crowd noise. CLICK HERE

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

• THEY DAY AFTER: No. 5 Indiana got humbled in Columbus, but the Hoosiers got a lot of help in the College Football Playoff picture. 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.

• WHAT KURTIS ROURKE SAID: What the Indiana quarterback said after Indiana's loss to Ohio State on Saturday. CLICK HERE.