no, the South Carolina argument goes like this:
- Alabama barely beat South Carolina at home
- SC manhandled both teams that beat Alabama and in the exact same venues
- SC “really” only has two losses because the officials jobbed them against LSU
That argument isn’t exactly complete, but I will note it is the exact same argument that Alabama fans still use to justify the 1977 national championship over Notre Dame, completely ignoring all of the aspects you mention
As far as Penn State and Indiana, if I were an advocate, for their cause, I would cut right to the chase:
Penn State, Indiana, and Alabama all played a bunch of 5-5 teams.
Only Alabama lost to two of them.