Indiana football was ranked No. 6 in Tuesday’s preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, finishing with 1522 points and 14 first-place votes. The Hoosiers are coming off a perfect 16-0 season in which they captured their first national championship. Prior to 2025, coaches ranked the Cream and Crimson No. 19.
The Hoosiers are one of eight Big Ten teams included in the poll, behind only No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Oregon. Despite ranking outside the top five, Indiana’s 14 first-place votes are the second-most in the nation, trailing only Ohio State’s 38 and beating Oregon’s six. Following Indiana, No. 14 USC, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Penn State, No. 19 Washington and No. 22 Iowa also appear in the poll.
The Cream and Crimson will take on four opponents ranked in the initial coaches poll during the 2026 regular season.
Following its title-winning season, Indiana brought in a top-10 transfer class and returned key starters across its offense and defense, including redshirt senior offensive lineman Carter Smith and redshirt senior linebacker Isaiah Jones. The Hoosiers also feature a trio of returning players named to the Big Ten's preseason honors list in junior wide receiver Charlie Becker, junior linebacker Rolijah Hardy and redshirt senior defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker.
The coaches poll is conducted each week throughout the season by a random draw of coaches who have chosen to participate, including Indiana’s head coach Curt Cignetti. The panel is selected conference by conference, including independents.
The first AP Top 25 Poll will be released at noon Aug. 17, and Indiana will begin its season against the University of North Texas at noon Sept. 5 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
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.
