After finishing the 2025 collegiate season with a 16-0 record and the first national championship in program history, Indiana football will open the 2026 season with its highest Associated Press Top 25 Poll preseason ranking in program history. The Hoosiers landed at No. 6 in the first AP Top 25 Poll released Monday.
Indiana began last season at No. 20 in the preseason rankings before entering the College Football Playoff at No. 1. The Cream and Crimson received eight first-place votes in this year’s preseason poll –– the third most in the nation. Ohio State received 40 first-place votes, followed by Oregon with 14.
The AP Poll started in 1936 and is the most widely recognized college football rankings system, providing fans with a glimpse at how voters view teams. Around 60 reporters and broadcasters who cover college football for AP member organizations comprise the panel. Once the college football regular season is underway, new rankings release at 2 p.m. every Sunday.
The Hoosiers join seven other Big Ten programs in the first AP Poll of 2026, behind only No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Oregon. Following Indiana, No. 14 USC, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Washington, No. 18 Penn State and No. 22 Iowa are ranked. Illinois and Minnesota also received top 25 votes.
Indiana will compete against four teams ranked in the top 25 during the regular season, including Ohio State, USC, Michigan and Washington.
The Hoosiers will host the University of North Texas at noon Sept. 5 at Memorial Stadium to begin their 2026 campaign.
Follow reporters Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
