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Warde Manuel reveals how strength of schedule impacted Indiana, BYU in College Football Playoff Top 25

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•11/05/24•

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Curt Cignetti
© Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Indiana and BYU are two of the biggest stories in college football this year. The two teams are atop their respective conferences with undefeated records, putting them in the Top 10 of the first College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings released Tuesday.

IU came in at No. 8 in the rankings, followed by BYU at No. 9 – though the Cougars would be the No. 4 seed in the 12-team bracket as the projected Big 12 champion. But some wondered if BYU would be in front of Indiana because of the strength of schedule difference, and CFP selection committee chairman Warde Manuel explained what gave the Hoosiers the edge.

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Indiana’s strength of schedule ranks No. 103 in the country, according to ESPN, while BYU’s sits at No. 61. The difference, Manuel said, was the way the Hoosiers handled their schedule and their average margin of victory. As a result, the committee put Curt Cignetti’s group ahead of Kalani Sitake’s.

“Again, two great teams, like you said,” Manuel told Rece Davis on ESPN’s rankings reveal show. “Indiana, their strength of schedule is not as strong as BYU. But what Indiana has done on the field, when we look at those games, they’re winning by double digits, averaging 33 points a game more than their opponents. They’re solid on both sides, offensively and defensively. They’re just a really, really great team, and so is BYU. As we contemplated, as we discussed, as we looked at everything, Indiana was ranked No. 8 by the committee and BYU’s right behind them at 9.”

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Cignetti has supercharged Indiana during his first season at the helm. The Hoosiers rank No. 8 in the nation with 476.2 yards of offense per game on offense and have the third-best defense in the FBS, holding teams to 261 yards per game.

For BYU, it would’ve been tough to draw up a better start to Year 2 in the Big 12. The Cougars’ closest call was a three-point victory over Oklahoma State, but they also have a ranked victory over Kansas State – which came in at No. 19 in the first rankings. But their numbers aren’t quite on the levels of Indiana, averaging 410 yards of offense and holding teams to 331.5 yards on defense.

But even though BYU came in behind Indiana, the Cougars would have the edge in the 12-team bracket if they win the Big 12. Under the new format, they would be one of the four highest-ranked conference champions and secure a first-round bye.