No. 7 Notre Dame stymied No. 10 Indiana 27-17 in the first game of the expanded College Football Playoff on Friday night, much to Lane Kiffin’s dismay.
The Ole Miss coach made his discontent with Indiana’s place in the Playoff, and the largely dull matchup, known on X.
“Really exciting competitive game,” Kiffin said Friday night, tagging the College Football Playoff. “Great job!!”
Really exciting competitive game @CFBPlayoff 🧐. Great job!! https://t.co/HEjQ1AcXba
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 21, 2024
The start of Notre Dame and Indiana’s matchup showed competitive promise, with two interceptions in the first three drives and a 98-yard touchdown run by Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. But the battle dropped off from there.
The Hoosiers didn’t reach the end zone until the final two minutes of the game, scoring two consecutive touchdowns after recovering an onside kick, to shrink the margin of defeat from 24 points to 10. Notre Dame’s defense held Indiana to its second-lowest scoring output of the season.
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Ole Miss saw its Playoff chances slip away on Nov. 23, when the Rebels fell 24-17 to Florida to collect their third loss — all within SEC play — on the season. The defeat came after a bye week, following the Rebels’ 28-10 victory over then-No. 3 Georgia on Nov. 9. Ole Miss’ other two losses came against Kentucky (4-8) and LSU (8-4).
Indiana (11-2) had a strong record amid a weak schedule, though it did beat FBS opponents by an average of 29.3 points. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Hoosier’s had the 67th hardest schedule in the country, second behind Boise State — at No. 80 — of the 12 teams to make the Playoff.
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Ole Miss, along with Alabama (9-3), Miami (10-2) and South Carolina (9-3), were among the teams debated that would have put up a more vigorous fight against Notre Dame in the 12-team Playoff debut.
The Fighting Irish advance to play No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
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(Photo: Brett Davis / USA Today)
