Indiana head coach Kurt Cignetti is speaking out and claiming bias after the College Football Playoff selection committee released its first weekly rankings.
During Wednesday’s weekly broadcast, Sinetti specifically took aim at the analysts ESPN uses on its rankings reveal show and the narrative they support.
“They’re given instructions on what to say and they follow the company’s line,” Signetti said of the network’s college football analysts.
Cignetti continued, “You know, the SEC is heavily supported by ESPN and all of their writers, who technically aren’t paid and march to the beat of their drum. So, that’s why you see all these SEC teams out there and, you know, some good two-loss teams from the Big Ten that aren’t ranked as high. But like I said, it’s all going to be on the field.”
ESPN owns the SEC’s national television rights and media rights to the College Football Playoff.
In the first batch of CFP rankings, the committee undoubtedly favored the SEC. Voters ranked 10 SEC teams in the top 25, while Cignetti’s Hoosiers had just six in the Big 10.
However, the SEC is doing better overall this year, so the number of teams in the top 25 isn’t necessarily a point of contention. The real controversy is where these SEC teams are ranked.
For example, when Alabama, a two-loss SEC team, unexpectedly finished fifth, it raised eyebrows. In addition, Texas is a two-loss SEC team with losses to two unranked teams and a relatively high ranking of seventh.
Meanwhile, Ohio State, a Big Ten team that traveled to USC to face the Trojans last weekend without its starting quarterback, fell out of the playoff picture entirely after losing to just one unranked opponent.
Still, the committee could also be accused of showing favoritism toward Indiana.
The Indians, ranked fourth in the CFP, needed overtime to defeat two unranked teams and narrowly escaped the fate of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who were about to fire their head coach. In fact, the Indians just benched their starting quarterback due to an inept offense, and the only nationally recognized player on the entire roster is wide receiver Nick Marsh.
CFP Selection Committee Chairman Hunter Yurachek said Notre Dame doesn’t have a “signature win” when explaining why the committee ranked the Irish at No. 11. Neither does Indiana, which is seven spots ahead of the Irish.
Regardless, Signetti’s concerns about SEC bias are legitimate, but he may not be the best person to make that argument.