Indiana football improved to No. 2 in The Associated Press’ Top 25 Poll released Sunday.
The Hoosiers were ranked No. 3 prior to their matchup against Michigan State on Saturday –– the highest mark in program history. Meanwhile, the University of Miami held the No. 2 spot entering Week 8.
But the Hurricanes suffered a 24-21 loss to the University of Louisville on Friday, dropping seven spots to No. 9 in the poll. This allowed the Hoosiers to claim the No. 2 spot in the rankings after their 38-13 victory over Michigan State on Saturday, setting a new program record.
Redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers to an efficient offensive outing Saturday, scoring on six of their eight possessions. Mendoza completed 24 of 28 pass attempts for 332 yards and four touchdowns.
Senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt secured two of Mendoza’s passing touchdowns, while redshirt junior wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. added 115 yards and a score through the air.
The Big Ten owns five top-25 teams in the latest AP Poll. Ohio State remains at No. 1 in the rankings after its dominant 34-0 win against Wisconsin, and Oregon jumped two spots to No. 6 following its 56-10 victory over Rutgers.
Michigan and Illinois both reentered the top-25 after falling out of the rankings last week. The Wolverines sit at No. 25 after their 24-7 win over Washington, while the Fighting Illini jumped to No. 23 in the rankings after a bye week.
USC held the No. 20 slot heading into the week, but fell out of the rankings entirely following its 24-34 loss against Notre Dame over the weekend. Nebraska also dropped out of the poll after its 24-6 defeat against Minnesota on Friday. The Cornhuskers previously owned No. 25 in the rankings.
Undefeated Indiana returns Oct. 25 to Memorial Stadium in Bloomington to take on UCLA, where FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” will make an appearance. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, and will be streamed on FOX.
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.
