Indiana deserves every bit of playoff scrutiny after Ohio State beatdown

Indiana’s worst nightmare unfolded at Ohio State. Bring on the CFP bracket scrutiny after this Hoosiers meltdown.
Curt Cignetti and Indiana have no answer for Ohio State’s relentless pass rush.
Ryan Day’s Buckeyes reaffirm their national championship contender status. Indiana earns its bubble status.

The No. 5 Hoosiers had everyone believing – skeptics and loyalists alike – they were College Football Playoff-worthy for about a quarter and a half Saturday.

And then … total mismatch.

This beatdown at The Shoe became the lopsided result of Indiana’s worst nightmare.

Indiana’s playoff bid in jeopardy after a 38-15 loss at No. 2 Ohio State?

Absolutely.

I won’t tell you Indiana (10-1) certainly isn’t a playoff team, because games remain, and if we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that nobody’s safe from a faceplant.

(See Ole Miss blowing its playoff bid by losing to Florida.)

But, we could have emerged from this day knowing – knowing without a shred of doubt – that Indiana deserves a playoff spot. After this result, I’m full of doubt.

Indiana earns CFP scrutiny after flop against Ohio State

The Hoosiers spent 10 games spinning a tale that they’d built a real team unlike anything in their history, before the Buckeyes spent a few hours revealing that what the playoff committee thought it saw in Indiana was a mirage.

Ohio State destroyed Indiana’s offensive line. One sack, two sacks, three sacks, more. Five sacks, in total. By the end, some merciful soul should have handed Indiana a white flag to call off a Buckeyes defense that just kept coming.

Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke couldn’t develop a rhythm, while Ohio State’s Will Howard enjoyed a relaxed afternoon of pitch and catch. Indiana’s special teams became a laugher, handing the Buckeyes 14 points.

Call this what it was, a full-fledged, all-three-phases beatdown that leaves Hoosiers squarely on the bubble.

If not for that lofty ranking next to Indiana’s name, you would’ve thought this was little different than any other Indiana team throughout its 30-game losing streak to the Buckeyes.

Indiana didn’t need to beat the Buckeyes to prove their playoff credentials. The Hoosiers just needed to compete well enough to squash the doubt that the undefeated record they boasted mere days before Thanksgiving was the byproduct of the worst schedule of any Power Four playoff contender.

By the end of this blowout, I’m left thinking Indiana’s record says about as much about Western Illinois, Florida International, Charlotte, Northwestern, UCLA, Maryland, Michigan State and others as it does about the Hoosiers.

Indiana left itself vulnerable to this scrutiny because of its soft schedule, but all it needed was one competitive afternoon against a playoff team to show it belonged in that CFP bracket.

Go ahead and lose to the only ranked opponent on the schedule. Just don’t get blown out.

It got blown out.

Now what?

Now, it’s much harder to make an argument for Indiana compared to a two-loss SEC bubble team, like Tennessee, or the prospect of multiple bids for the ACC.

The Hoosiers didn’t control their conference schedule. The Big Ten assigns those foes. But, they could have helped their résumé by playing someone – literally, anyone – from the SEC, ACC or Big 12. Instead, they canceled a road game at Louisville before Curt Cignetti became coach and played three non-conference cupcakes.

Don’t blame “Coach Cigs” for that decision, but don’t excuse him for how Indiana played Saturday, either. He, his staff and his team had no solution for how to handle OSU’s relentless pass rush.

Indiana cruised 70 yards for a score on its opening drive, making Ohio State look like Purdue.

Indiana retained the lead until midway through the second quarter.

If you were thinking then, forget the playoff debate, this is the nation’s No. 1 team, you would have had company. A special teams blunder allowed Ohio State the lead before halftime.

The second half showed the Hoosiers aren’t in Ohio State’s league.

Ryan Day’s Buckeyes look part of national title contender

Buckeyes fans, are you counting this as a big-game win for Ryan Day? Yeah, give him some credit.

Day’s inability to win enough of the biggest games draws the ire of OSU’s fan base, but he’s holding the line this season.

Facing the toughest schedule of any Big Ten playoff contender, the Buckeyes went into Happy Valley and fed James Franklin more spoiled milk, then stomped on Indiana’s Cinderella story. Beat Michigan next week, and they’ll enjoy a chance to avenge their lone loss, to No. 1 Oregon.

This win was less about Day, though, and more about the best roster money can buy showing up.

Indiana built a team of undervalued transfers looking to prove themselves on the big stage. The Hoosiers have proven they’re better than a bunch of bad and mediocre teams.

Ohio State, with a powerful NIL collective at its back, assembled a super squad. The Buckeyes are a playoff team and a national championship contender.

The Hoosiers certainly aren’t the latter, and they made us question whether they’re the former after the one kind of performance Indiana couldn’t afford.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.