IU debuts at No. 12 in first College Football Playoff rankings

In a season full of firsts and new beginnings, here’s another:

Indiana is ranked inside the College Football Playoff Top 25.

The Hoosiers debuted at No. 12 on Tuesday, occupying the same slot where they’re featured in the Associated Press Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Poll. No, we’re not expecting Indiana to climb into the top four, but this is still pretty fun stuff for a program that has long lived a planet away from meaningful postseason considerations.

Hell, ESPN analyst David Pollack thought the Hoosiers should’ve been higher.

“If we look at the rankings, I’ve got one more little gripe if I’m Indiana,” Pollack said. “Does anybody have a problem with where they’re ranked? I mean, they barely lose to Ohio State, right? They barely lose to them; a good game. You could argue they gave it away in a lot of situations and could’ve been better, and they’re well behind a team like Georgia that got beat handily twice. Indiana is another team I could look at and play the disrespect card for.”

The Big Ten tied the Southeastern Conference for most ranked teams in the CFP’s initial rankings with five. No. 4 Ohio State heads the pack, followed by West Division leader Northwestern at No. 8. Behind IU is Wisconsin, which appears at No. 16. Iowa, meanwhile, snuck in at No. 24.

The CFP rankings will be updated on Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15 before the final selections are revealed on Dec. 20. Here’s how the whole thing shook out this week:

1. Alabama
2. Notre Dame
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Cincinnati
8. Northwestern
9. Georgia
10. Miami
11. Oklahoma
12. Indiana
13. Iowa State
14. BYU
15. Oregon
16. Wisconsin
17. Texas
18. USC
19. UNC
20. Coastal Carolina
21. Marshall
22. Auburn
23. Oklahoma State
24. Iowa
25. Tulsa