Ohio State defeated Indiana 38-15 on Saturday afternoon in Columbus.

It was a rough day overall for the Hoosiers after they jumped out to a 7-0 lead following their first drive of the game. Indiana didn’t find the end zone again until the outcome had long been decided late in the 4th quarter.

This game had College Football Playoff implications for both programs. Ohio State now seems safely into the field regardless of what happens in the Big Ten Championship Game in a couple of weeks, but IU may need some help down the stretch to clinch a bid.

Here are 3 takeaways from Indiana’s loss to the Buckeyes:

Indiana made mistake after mistake

It was all Ohio State once the Buckeyes were able to tie the game. Simple mistakes were a big part of why Indiana was unable to generate momentum to get back in the game.

The Hoosiers had multiple pre-snap penalties on third-and-short that ultimately ended in punts. Indiana only had 3 penalties all day, but they came on crucial downs.

Special teams errors also cost Indiana as many as 14 points. The Hoosiers gave up an easy touchdown following a dropped snap on a punt late in the first half. Then, after their first series of the third quarter went nowhere, Indiana conceded a punt return touchdown to make it 21-7 Ohio State.

Perhaps Indiana’s most impactful mistakes were on the offensive line. Indiana conceded 5 sacks, which prevented the Hoosiers from establishing any sort of momentum offensively after their first drive.

IU’s secondary didn’t hold up

Much was made about how Indiana’s defense would matchup with Ohio State. In the run game, the Hoosiers held their own. It was a different story in the secondary.

Indiana got torched for most of the game, as Ohio State quarterback Will Howard completed his first 14 passes of the contest. Receivers Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate were frequently able to find the soft spots in IU’s zone — often on corner routes near the sidelines.

Howard finished the game 22-of-26 for 201 yards and 2 touchdown passes.

Will 11-1 be enough?

Indiana’s placement in the College Football Playoff rankings was a popular topic before Saturday, and it will likely remain so given this result.

With lowly Purdue on deck, Indiana is very likely to end the regular season with an 11-1 record. But the question remains: Was this performance enough to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff given IU’s relatively-weak strength-of-schedule?

Indiana certainly failed to leave no doubt. After a dominant opening drive, the Hoosiers accomplished very little over the remaining 3+ quarters in Columbus. Indiana’s next 8 drives resulted in a combined 19 yards.

Defensively, IU provided a little resistance — but not much. The Hoosiers got 2 red zone stops (1 interception and 1 turnover on downs), but they otherwise struggled against the Buckeyes. Ohio State still averaged 5.7 yards per play on the afternoon.

The next College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed on Tuesday night.