More room for error, playoff games in Bloomington, and tougher schedules could await the Hoosiers under the proposed expansion.
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Indiana's path to the College Football Playoff could soon become more forgiving.
The CFP is reportedly nearing a deal to expand from 12 to 24 teams beginning in 2027, ESPN's Pete Thamel first reported Thursday, pending final approvals.
The proposed expansion could change everything from Indiana's nonconference schedule to where the Hoosiers play their future postseason games.
Here's what it could mean for Curt Cignetti's program.
More room for error in the Big Ten
The biggest benefit for Indiana would be maintaining a realistic playoff path in seasons that include a few more setbacks.
A 24-team field would give the Hoosiers more opportunities to survive losses against a demanding Big Ten schedule. A defeat that could put a team on the wrong side of the current bubble might instead leave it comfortably in the proposed format.
That matters for a program trying to make national contention an annual expectation. Indiana wouldn't need every season to resemble its best one to remain relevant into December.
Playoff games at Memorial Stadium
Under the proposed structure, the top eight seeds would receive a first-round bye and then host second-round games. Seeds Nos. 9-16 would host in the opening round.
For Indiana, that creates an appealing possibility: earning a bye and still bringing the postseason to Bloomington.
In On3's hypothetical bracket based on this week's AP Poll, No. 5 Indiana would host the winner of UCLA and Wake Forest after sitting out the opening round. That's an illustration of the format, not a projection of an actual CFP matchup.
It also shows why regular-season results would retain some level of significance. Finishing eighth rather than ninth would mean avoiding an elimination game. Finishing 16th rather than 17th would mean opening at home instead of on the road.
Indiana's top-five matchup this weekend with Ohio State is the kind of game that could help determine those advantages under a larger format, rather than helping determine whether a team is potentially included in the playoff at all under the current format.
Indiana's nonconference schedule could get tougher
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has tied expansion to a commitment to stronger nonconference scheduling.
That could require Indiana to rethink its future opponents. All 12 of the Hoosiers' currently scheduled nonconference games from 2027 through 2030 are against teams outside the Power Four.
The timing of any requirement remains uncertain, especially with existing contracts to address.
For fans, stronger opponents would make the opening month more appealing. For Indiana, they would provide additional opportunities to build a resume, with a greater risk of an early loss. The expanded field would give the Hoosiers more room to absorb that risk.
A different route to a Big Ten championship
Expansion is also expected to bring an end to conference championship games.
That would remove the opportunity to play for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis. How the league would determine its champion, including how it would resolve ties in an unbalanced schedule, remains an important unanswered question.
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