Projected 2020 College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings for Week 13

In a battle of the two teams atop the Big Ten East standings, Indiana came up short in Columbus. The trip to the Horseshoe ended in a 42-35 defeat for the Hoosiers at the hands of Ohio State, putting Tom Allen’s team effectively two games behind the Buckeyes with three games left to play. But given how they held their own as three-touchdown underdogs, Indiana will land somewhere in the mid-teens when the College Football Playoff committee releases its Top 25.

Michael Penix Jr. had a banner day in defeat, throwing for 491 yards and five touchdowns on 27-of-51 passing. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, that was the sum total of the offense they managed to generate. On 16 carries, Indiana finished with a net loss of one rushing yard. Despite generating three Justin Fields interceptions, the Hoosiers were unable to generate a single point off those turnovers. That proved costly in a game won by only a touchdown.

Indiana is down but not out. Even though a Big Ten title is pretty much out of reach at this point barring a total Buckeyes collapse, the Hoosiers can still make a New Year’s Six bowl. Maryland, Wisconsin, and Purdue round out the regular-season schedule and provide opportunities for Indiana to make new statements for the selection committee.