Rake’s Take: IU, Notre Dame ‘right where they should be’ in college playoffs
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Expect to see icy glances exchanged across offices, classroom, and breakfast tables for the next couple of weeks in Indiana as the “Hurryin’” Hoosiers and Fighting Irish vie for major football bragging rights.
IU and Notre Dame will meet Dec. 20 in the first round of the College Football Playoff, and ISC Sports Network’s Greg Rakestraw says that’s exactly as it should be.
I asked him on WISH-TV’s Daybreak whether the CFP got the seedings “right” for its first-ever 12-team playoff.
“Yes, they did!” was his instant reply. He acknowledged the arguments for a higher seed for both squads, but says, ultimately, it’s wise “for both these two teams be happy that you’re in it, especially Indiana… nobody thought this was possible.”
Rake’s Take on Schedule Strength
“You could argue the fact that Notre Dame is the higher-seeded team here (merely) because they lost in September, not in November,” he reasoned. “But frankly, Notre Dame beat a handful of better teams. And it’s no fault of IU, (it’s) just kind of the way the scheduling worked out.”
Rake’s Take on Notre Dame Stadium
“Normally you would say, ‘Well, these guys play in places like Penn State and places like Michigan and… in the (Ohio State) Horseshoe,” Rake said when asked whether the stage could be “too big” for IU.
“Same time, this Indiana team is so new, a lot of these guys have played in Sun Belt Conference.”
Rake’s Take on Depauw’s Heartbreak
The Tigers lost over the weekend in a Third Round Division III playoff heartbreaker to Johns Hopkins.
“Depauw was driving late in the game, trying to get a final snap off on fourth down at about the one yard line, (and) got flagged for a penalty,” he explained. “It’s an automatic (clock) runoff and the game comes to an end. (It was) just a tremendous season for Depauw to get to 11-0!”
Rake’s Take on Indiana Wesleyan
The Wildcats NAIA playoff run ended over the weekend as well, in a quarterfinals loss to Benedictine. It’s a new high-water mark for a team that was not even a varsity sport a decade ago.
“Indiana Wesleyan is going to be good every year’” said Rake, pointing out the consistent strong support for IWU’s sports program. “St. Francis was the first great NAIA team in this state. That became Marian for a while. Now it’s the team that is based and Marion. Everybody is chasing Indiana Wesleyan.”