The new 2024 College Football Playoff rankings are out and analysts aren’t happy with the assessment. Is it an altered version of the FSU snub that was played out last season? Hopefully not. But Curt Cignetti and Indiana deserve more credit than they’re given. And in times like this, it’s the reactions that show what’s going on in college football. 

The first 2024 CFP rankings were released on Tuesday night and Indiana ranks No. 8 on the list despite an unbeaten 9-0 record. Tom Fornelli expressed his displeasure at the result in a new YouTube episode on Cover 3 Podcast saying, “Take Indiana’s exact resume, take off the Indiana logo, put on the Michigan logo, is Indiana 8th?” To this, Chip Patterson chimed in with the comparison between Indiana in 2024 and Michigan in 2023. 

Last season, when Jim Harbaugh was leading Michigan to an undefeated season in November, they were ranked No. 3 in the first CFP rankings. Why the comparison? Because the reigning National Champions also had an “almost identical strength of schedule, almost identical strength of record, almost identical strength like number record of teams” in 2023 when they were 9-0 (6-0) against unranked opponents. 

The argument is that a program needs to consistently meet expectations, starting from the preseason, to achieve a high ranking. Do you think that’s the way to judge a football team? As of now, Dan Lanning and Oregon top the list with 9-0, followed by 7-1 Ohio State and 7-1 Georgia at No. 2 and 3, respectively. But Fornelli isn’t the only one who isn’t riding with Indiana’s underrated ranking. 

CFB analysts react to the first 2024 CFP rankings

Fox Sports Joel Klatt had been vocal about the AP Poll underrating Indiana at No. 8. So when this ranking was released, we can only imagine his disappointment. He wrote on X, “The clear brand bias of CFP committee is striking… If you want to rank off eye test that is fine, but have a set and watch @IndianaFootball without bias.” 

ESPN CFB analyst Booger McFarland also said of the new CFP rankings, “I think Indiana is the most disrespected team in the country.” For a team that struggled to a 9-27 record since 2021, climbing back to relevance will be a tough challenge. Hard truth to digest but that’s the way of the world. But they still have three games left in them, especially the big battle against No. 2 Ohio State on November 23. It’ll be their ultimate test to prove that they can dominate even in big games.