Indiana football jumped to No. 3 in the Associated Press’ Top 25 poll released Sunday –– the highest mark in program history.
The four-spot improvement followed the Hoosiers’ upset road victory over then-No. 3 Oregon on Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. Heading into the matchup, the Cream and Crimson were ranked No. 7 in the nation.
After redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw a pick-six in the fourth quarter, the Ducks tied the game at 20 points. But the Hoosiers persevered, scoring 10 unanswered points, and secured two interceptions after Mendoza’s mistake.
Mendoza finished the game with 215 yards passing and one touchdown. He added six carries for 31 yards on the ground. The Miami native connected with senior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt for his lone touchdown pass.
Following its loss, Oregon dropped five spots to No. 8 in the poll. Meanwhile, Ohio State remains at No. 1 after its 34-16 victory over then-No. 17 Illinois. The Fighting Illini dropped out of the rankings after the defeat.
USC found itself knocked out of the poll after falling to Illinois on Sept. 27, but the Trojans reentered the top 25 at No. 20 after defeating Michigan 31-13 over the weekend. Heading into the matchup, the Wolverines ranked No. 15, but now find themselves unranked following the loss. Nebraska also snuck into the No. 25 spot in the AP Poll after a 34-31 victory over Maryland.
Coming off its historic victory over Oregon, undefeated Indiana prepares to face Michigan State for its Homecoming game Oct. 18. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be streamed on Peacock.
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.
