Indiana
College Football Playoff rankings: Ohio State and Indiana on top (again) as SEC teams dominate the top 10
The third College Football Playoff rankings propelled the event closer to an endgame guaranteed to roil the masses.
Are you ready for five SEC teams?
The conference took a giant leap toward gobbling almost half the bids to the 12-team event when the rankings were unveiled Tuesday evening.
Oklahoma vaulted three spots, to No. 8, following its victory at Alabama. But critically, the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide did not drop below the cut line for CFP inclusion despite sustaining their second loss.
Add No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Georgia and No. 6 Mississippi to the Sooners and Crimson Tide, and the SEC would have five participants if the field were selected today: one automatic qualifier (the conference champion) plus four at-large teams.
Last year, in the first year of the 12-team event, the Big Ten led all conferences with four bids (one automatic and three at-large).
With two Saturdays remaining in the regular season, plus championship weekend, there is time for tumult.
But at this point, the SEC has a firm grasp on the pole position — at the expense of everyone else:
— The Big 12 is staring at another disappointing outcome if No. 5 Texas Tech wins the conference championship.
Both No. 11 BYU and No. 12 Utah are precariously positioned given the lack of schedule juice remaining (e.g., no ranked opponents) and the potential for teams just below them to move up.
The likelihood of the Big 12 collecting a single bid, as it did last year (Arizona State), is increasing by the week.
— The ACC faces a comparable fate with No. 13 Miami as the conference’s highest-ranked team.
Notably, the Hurricanes are four spots below Notre Dame even though they have the same record (8-2) and Miami won the head-to-head matchup.
But committee chair Hunter Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director who took over as chair last week when Baylor AD Mack Rhoades stepped down, said the teams were not close enough for the head-to-head result to be considered.
The difference in resumes, he said, is rooted in the quality of their losses: The Irish lost to No. 13 Miami and No. 3 Texas A&M, while the Hurricanes lost to two unranked teams, SMU and Louisville.
— And what of the Big Ten? The third installment of the CFP rankings wasn’t much more encouraging for the conference than either of the first two.
Yes, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana held their ground and are effectively locks for the CFP. But Oregon is No. 7, a tad too close to the current cut line (between No. 10 and 11) for comfort.
If the Ducks (9-1) lose at home to USC this weekend — or at Washington in the season finale — they could fall out of the field.
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy noted the precedent set by the committee’s treatment of Alabama, which fell six spots after losing at home to Oklahoma.
“If you’re Oregon, you better win out,” McEloy said, “because a six-slot slide will have you out of the field.
“They just did it to Alabama. They can do it to you.”
The Trojans (8-2) are currently on the outside looking in. Yes, they moved up two spots, to No. 15, after beating Iowa, but they are behind six teams with two losses.
A victory in Eugene would polish their resume, but would it be enough to climb five positions and gain a foothold in the field?
Put another way: It’s not difficult to envision the Big Ten as a two-bid conference when the field is announced on Dec. 7.
Add the ACC and Big 12 champions, plus No. 9 Notre Dame and the highest-ranked team from the Group of Five (currently Tulane), and that’s six teams.
If the SEC gets five, there would be one bid remaining for a third team from the Big Ten, a second from either the ACC or Big 12 or … yes, we’ll say it … a sixth from the SEC.
There are too many possible permutations to evaluate at this point.
But the most likely outcome, by far, has the SEC owning the day when the field is announced.
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Catch everything that went on at day 1 of the Indiana Comic Convention
Day 1 of the 2025 Indiana Comic Convention is in the books. IndyStar reporter John Tufts gives you an inside look of everything that went on.
Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage is making his U.S. comic con scene debut, appearing at the Indiana Comic Convention this week.
Fans can meet Cage and get an autograph or photo with him during the June 5-7 event taking place at the Indiana Convention Center.
The appearance marks Cage’s first at a U.S. comic convention. The 62-year-old actor, who has starred in movies spanning romance, action and superhero genres over more than 40 years, appeared at the Osaka Comic Convention in 2025.
Cage’s Indiana visit comes after the May 27 release on Prime Video of “Spider-Noir,” the live-action superhero series he leads. He voiced the character in the 2018 animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” and will reprise the role in 2027’s “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.”
Among his other superhero genre movie roles are Big Daddy in “Kick-Ass” and Johnny Blaze in Marvel’s Ghost Rider franchise. He was set to star in director Tim Burton’s scrapped Superman movie in the 1990s. Fans finally got to see him on the big screen as the Man of Steel when he cameoed in “The Flash” in 2024.
Cage, whose movies have grossed more than $6.4 billion, also starred in “National Treasure,” “The Rock,” “Face/Off,” “Con Air,” “Valley Girl,” “Raising Arizona,” “Adaptation” and “Leaving Las Vegas,” for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor.
“Nicolas Cage is one of the most accomplished and recognizable actors in the world, and to have him choose Indiana Comic Convention as his first fan convention is huge for fans and a tribute to the reputation they’ve built for treating celebrity attendees with so much love and respect,” show producer Dan Farr said in an announcement of the appearance.
Watch ‘Spider-Noir’ on Prime
How much is a Nicolas Cage photo op?
Indiana Comic Convention features celebrities, authors, comic creators and exhibitors that cater to a wide spectrum of interests and fandoms, including comic books, magazines, toys, games, anime, manga, cosplay, artwork, sketches and apparel.
In-person Nicolas Cage autographs will cost $400. Photo ops are $250. A pre-signed autograph is $225. A photo op/pre-signed autobiography bundle is $450.
Tickets and photo ops are available now at indianacomicconvention.com.
Contact reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cjackson@usatodayco.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on X.com:@cherylvjackson or Bluesky:@cherylvjackson.bsky.social.
Monday, June 1, 2026 3:34AM
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) — A northwest Indiana family is safe thanks to the heroic actions of a Hobart police officer.
Adam Zormier rescued a woman and four children from a burning home.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
ABC7 talked to Zormier, who told us he was on patrol in Hobart on Sunday when he noticed heavy black smoke in the air.
He discovered it was coming from the windows and roof of a house in nearby Merrillville.
A Good Samaritan helped him knock on doors. When there was no answer, he forced his way in.
Zormier was treated for smoke inhalation. No one was seriously hurt.
Copyright © 2026 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Indiana
Indiana EMT charged with sexually assaulting 14-year-old in the back of an ambulance during transport
(WXIN/WTTV) — An EMT working for an Indiana ambulance service has been arrested after accusations that he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old while transporting them to the hospital.
Ronald D. Elliott Jr., 37, was officially charged Wednesday with a slew of child sex crimes. Online jail records show Elliott, who lives in Dunreith, was arrested Thursday and booked into Delaware County Jail without bond.
The arrest stems from accusations made by a 14-year-old who told police that Elliott sexually assaulted her in the back of an ambulance during a February transport from Muncie to Monroe County.
The alleged victim came forward on March 16 and told Indiana State Police investigators that an EMT had forced her into sexual contact while taking her to a medical facility in Bloomington.
The juvenile said that Elliott, who is listed as an EMT for Quest Ambulance Service, began showing her pictures and videos on his cell phone during the transport. The files reportedly included photos of Elliott’s genitals and videos of him engaged in sexual activities.
Elliott is then alleged to have groped the teenager under her clothes and exposed himself to her. The girl said this led to Elliott sexually assaulting her in the back of the ambulance while en route to Bloomington.
The 14-year-old said that, after the assault, Elliott provided her with his “Mr. Fogger” nicotine vape as well as his phone. The girl told officers she signed into her Instagram account on Elliott’s phone, and court documents state she failed to log off after leaving the ambulance.
It was through the girl’s Instagram account that Elliott allegedly found a second juvenile victim. Identified as Victim 2 in court documents, Elliott reportedly began messaging the 13-year-old girl on Instagram. Throughout his conversations, the 37-year-old EMT is alleged to have:
- Called the juvenile a “young sl-t”
- Lied about his age, claiming he was 18 years old
- Sent a picture of himself only wearing a towel
- Made “sexually suggestive” comments about “good naughty girls”
- Told the 13-year-old girl she “looks cute”
During an interview with Elliott conducted on March 25, the EMT reportedly admitted to letting the 14-year-old use his phone and nicotine vape. However, he denied any sexual contact with the girl and said that any nude images she may have seen on his phone were an accident.
After uncovering “corroborating evidence” from both Elliott’s cell phone and the victim’s Instagram account, police requested that a warrant be filed for his arrest. Online court records show that the warrant was granted on Thursday.
Indiana State Police said that Elliott was taken into custody without incident during a traffic stop. Delaware County Jail records show Elliott was booked around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. He now faces the following several Level 4 felony charges including child seduction, child solicitation, and sexual conduct with a minor.
No other information was included in the probable cause affidavit filed against Elliott.
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