Projecting the College Football Playoff top 12 after Week 9 - ESPN

Indiana hosted Nebraska on Oct. 19 and thumped the Huskers 56-7.

Ohio State hosted Nebraska on Saturday and won 21-17.

The College Football Playoff selection committee considers common opponents. This is the kind of result that could raise eyebrows in the room. Both teams have weak schedules — overall, Indiana's is worse.

And then there's undefeated Miami, which, like Indiana, has showed off a high-flying offense against… no ranked opponents.

When the selection committee's first of six rankings is revealed Nov. 5, one of the panel's toughest tasks will be deciphering how to rank teams that have played well against mainly average, unranked opponents.

How high can the Hoosiers rise in spite of their schedule?

One factor the committee will use to separate contenders is statement wins, and Texas A&M just got one against LSU, taking the lead in the SEC race in the process.

Here's the weekly prediction of what the committee's top 12 might look like if its ranking were released today.

Remember, this is not a projection of what it will look like on Selection Day. Rather, it's a snapshot of who is in the driver's seat now, based on what they have done to this point.

The 12-team playoff seeding will look different from this ranking as well. The top four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes, and the top five conference champions receive entry into the field.

Why they could be here: The Ducks added another win against a ranked opponent to their résumé Saturday by beating No. 20 Illinois. Their win against Boise State looks even better after the Broncos won at UNLV on Friday night and strengthened their grip on the Group of 5 race for a playoff spot. Plus, with Ohio State escaping Nebraska on Saturday, the Ducks' home win