Indiana football rose three spots in The Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll released Sunday. The Hoosiers now sit at No. 19 — one spot ahead of where they began the season.
The Cream and Crimson earned a dominant 73-0 victory over Indiana State University on Sept. 12. Redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza went 19 for 20 for 270 yards passing and five touchdowns alongside a rushing score.
Redshirt junior wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. hauled in 10 catches for 207 yards and four touchdowns, tying a program-record for the most receiving scores in a contest. The Hoosiers’ defense shut out the Sycamores’ offense as they gained just five first downs and 77 total yards in the matchup.
In total, seven Big Ten schools earned a spot in the rankings. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Penn State didn’t shift while No. 6 Oregon dropped two spots despite earning a 34-14 victory at Northwestern.
Illinois — Indiana’s opponent Saturday — remains at No. 9 as it notched a 38-0 win over Western Michigan University. Michigan jumped two spots to No. 21 after a 63-3 victory over Central Michigan University while Southern California moved from receiving votes to No. 25 with its 33-17 triumph over Purdue.
No. 19 Indiana will now face No. 9 Illinois in its Big Ten opener at 7:30 p.m. Saturday inside Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
