re: Here are all of Indiana's future non-conference games now that ND games are cancelled

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Why focus on Indiana?

Beginning next season, won’t LSU’s non-conf schedule look pretty similar?

That should become the norm for SEC too, right?

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Yes. LSU has begun lightening its future non-conference schedules; however, LSU goes on the road to play Houston next season at NRG. Then in 2028 and 2029 has a home and home with SMU.

Games Indiana wouldn't risk playing. Who can blame them? The CFP won't punish them for it. The Big 10 has too many teams, and the bottom half of the conference is a joke. You schedule weak OOC, get a year where the top dogs rotate off, and then you're allowed to go 1-2 against the only teams with a pulse on your schedule to make the CFP.

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Because college football is entertainment, and playing Clemson is a lot more entertaining than Southeastern to anyone who actually watches sports rather than simply uses it as a projection for their identity and unfulfilled dreams of success. The fan who wants what is best for their team at all costs wants to go undefeated by any means necessary, even if that means competing against scrubs and blowing them away. They don’t exist to be entertained by the action on the field, only to have their self worth validated by the success of their favorite team.

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I agree whole-heartedly. I would MUCH rather watch LSU play Clemson to open the season than the Citadel. But the reality is if LSU were to lose that game and it be the game that ultimately kept them out of the CFP, most LSU fans would go nuts about LSU scheduling that game. It happened last season with Texas. If Texas plays Ohio instead of Ohio State, Texas likely makes the CFP. Yet, because that loss gave them 3 total, OU went to the CFP ahead of Texas even though Texas beat OU decidedly.

The way it changes is if the committee places more emphasis on SOS...like is the case in basketball. 9-3 Texas and 10-2 Vanderbilt were FAR more deserving of a CFP spot than James Madison (who lost to the only power conf. opponent it played by two TDs). Two years ago Indiana played a weak schedule with only one ranked opponent, to whom they lost by 17. Yet, that 1 in the L column was enough to get in ahead of teams who played far more challenging competition. If number of losses is the only metric that matters, there is no reason to incur a big OOC risk of loss when conf. play is already difficult enough.

Maybe that requires additional expansion of the CFP field. But it's very common in college basketball to see great teams play each other in OOC play. That's because a loss doesn't kill their chances of making the postseason and the SOS benefit means something.

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That's because a loss doesn't kill their chances of making the postseason and the SOS benefit means something.

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College football was a lot more fun when a loss almost knocked you out of contention, imo.

I think we overcorrected. I hated undefeated teams getting left out, but 4 was about right. 12 is definitely too many teams. As a result, the regular season is becoming watered down and devalued like the NFL.

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I would rather watch my team lose a close game on the road to a top 25 OOC opponent than watch my team blow out an FCS team by 50 at home. The FCS rent-a-win games are almost unwatchably boring.

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Everyone says this until they are Texas in 2025 and miss out in the playoff because they lost to OSU week 1, who was a top 5 team all season of course.

It's stupid and everyone agrees, but as said if the committee is going to count that against you, then don't play the game, make the 12 team playoff, then you get to play in a game like a pre conference top level game just in the playoffs making more money

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Everyone says this until they are Texas in 2025 and miss out in the playoff because they lost to OSU week 1

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I don’t know if I would say they missed it because of week 1 when there was a whole season afterwards (but it was a close game they could have won)

CFB is over 150 years old. Indiana has been relevant for 2-3 years. Cut them some slack, jeez.

I think the debate is a little more nuanced than what some are making it out to be. I think we all pretty much know that 11-1 in a major conference gets you in, and 9-3 keeps you out, almost regardless of schedule.

That being said, whether you get in at 10-2 is largely dependent on schedule. If you're an SEC team, you're probably getting in at 10-2 no matter what... but not necessarily. Vanderbilt had a terrible OOC schedule last year. They only played 2 of the top 6 SEC teams (not including themselves), and lost to both. Their best win was probably Tennessee? They were probably rightfully left out. But if they had a major OOC win, combined with their conference results, they would've been in at 10-2.

Texas, on the other hand, had a more difficult conference schedule. They played 4 of the top 6 SEC teams (not including themselves) and beat 3 of them. So, yes, if they played Rice instead of OSU, they would've been better served by being 10-2 instead of 9-3.

As far as Indiana goes, I do not think the combination of both their OOC and B1G schedule this year is good enough to get in at 10-2 (assuming one of the two losses is to OSU, so they don't have that feather in their cap). If they had a major OOC win though, then 10-2 probably would be good enough, despite having a relatively weak B1G schedule.

It can vary by year, too. USC's B1G schedule this year is probably strong enough to get in without ND OOC at 10-2. I don't think, if they hadn't played ND last year and finished 10-2 instead of 9-3, their B1G schedule last year would've been good enough. And Miami definitely would not have been in the CFP if they played Florida Atlantic instead of ND last year. So it's really circumstantial.

Regardless, the trend of weakening OOC games is disappointing for the sport. I don't like a 24-team CFP, but the one saving grace to it might be it could prevent some of these exciting OOC matchups from getting cancelled.

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Big Ten hates competition

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They haven’t faced any in the playoffs the last three years as evidenced by their three national championships.

so about on par with the bottom of the big ten that Indiana gets to play as well - WKU Miami-O and North Texas all probably beat Purdue -