Week Seven Games That IU Football Fans Should Keep an Eye On
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
The Indiana Hoosiers do not play football this Saturday, but this week’s slate of games may be the best of the season. While we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, there are implications for IU in both the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff race. I guess this is my reluctant try at ‘bubble watch’. So here are the games IU fans need to keep an eye on:
We will have our full opponent recap after the games are played this weekend.
Big Ten Race
The Hoosiers are 3-0 in the Big Ten and sit atop of the conference heading into Saturday. IU has six conference games left, but only one against the three other undefeated teams in Big Ten play (Ohio State). The top two teams in the conference will play ing the Big Ten Championship Game.
Ohio State at Oregon (7:30pm, NBC)
It’s the game of the day and it may pain a lot of IU fans to do this, but a Buckeye win would help IU. IU does control their own destiny against OSU, but they do not play Oregon.
Who to Root For: Ohio State
Penn State at USC (3:30pm, CBS)
Penn State is another one of the undefeated Big Ten teams that IU does not play. USC has two conference losses already. IU fans will be rooting for the Trojans in this one to give the Nittany Lions their first loss, and conference loss, of the season.
Who to Root For: USC
Washington at Iowa (Noon, Fox)
Both teams have one conference loss, but IU does not play Iowa so handing them a second loss would help. IU plays Washington at home in a couple weeks and currently have a one game lead on them.
Who to Root For: Washington
Top 25 Implications
Fans always want their teams to be ranked as high as possible, so there are some top-25 matchups and other games that could help IU rise in the polls without playing.
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (3:30, ABC)
IU is tied with Oklahoma in the AP poll at 18th. A loss should knock the Sooners down, while giving IU a few more points in the polls. Also, it’s one of the best rivalries in the sport.
Who to Root For: Texas
Arizona at No. 14 BYU (4pm, Fox)
BYU is probably the most under covered top-15 team in the country. As good of a story the Cougars are, IU fans want them to lose. A loss could knock them below IU.
Who to Root For: Arizona
Colorado at No. 18 Kansas State (10:15, ESPN)
The Wildcats are the third team tied at 18. A Colorado win loosens that log jam and probably puts more points on the ballot for IU.
Who to Root For: Colorado
College Football Playoff Implications
It is really still too early to talk CFP rankings since they do not come out until November. What’s important to note is that the top Group of Five Team gets an auto-bid no matter if they are ranked behind a Power Five team. So, IU will have to be in the top-11 to get in.
No. 11 Notre Dame vs. Stanford (3:30pm, NBC)
The Irish would take an at-large bid if they go 11-1. A second loss should put them out of the picture.
No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU (7:30pm, ABC)
The loser of this game is likely out of the CFP or will have a ton of work to do to get back in the race. A second conference loss for Ole Miss is likely the death blow, while LSU can run the table and sneak in with a loss.
Who to Root For: Probably LSU
Iowa State at West Virginia (8pm, Fox)
The Big XII champion gets an auto-bid into the CFP as a top four seed. There are five teams in the Big XII without a loss and these are two of them. West Virginia already has two losses overall and probably would keep the Big XII as a one bid league should they win. IU fans are rooting for the Big XII to have chaos and beat up on each other.
Who to Root For: West Virginia
Other Games that Affect IU
Minnesota at UCLA (9pm, BTN)
IU has already defeated UCLA and IU fans should root for them to win as many games as possible. Their schedule gets easier after playing Oregon and Penn State early.