Indiana football fell one spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the third consecutive week. The Hoosiers are now ranked No. 7 in the nation.
After dropping one slot in the rankings following a Week 3 victory over Western Kentucky University and a close win over Northwestern in Week 4, the Hoosiers notched a dominant 47-15 victory over Rutgers on Saturday.
Indiana was dominant on both sides of the ball throughout Saturday’s contest, coming away with points on eight of its 12 drives and notching a first half shutout.
The Hoosiers’ backfield duo of junior Turbo Richard and redshirt senior Lee Beebe Jr. combined for 326 rushing yards. Meanwhile, redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover was efficient through the air, completing 20 of 27 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns.
But Indiana still fell in the rankings for a third time in as many weeks. The University of Alabama jumped the Hoosiers for the No. 6 spot after defeating then-No. 16 Mississippi State University 56-23.
Like last week, five other Big Ten programs were ranked in this week’s poll.
Ohio State remained the top team in the conference at No. 5 with a 31-14 win over then-No. 14 Iowa. Following their loss, the Hawkeyes fell to No. 20.
Despite bye weeks for Oregon and UCLA, both programs moved up two spots in the rankings. The Ducks improved to No. 13, while the Bruins earned No. 21 in the poll.
USC dropped six spots in last week’s rankings after a loss to Oregon. The Trojans continued to slide this week despite a 25-21 win over Washington, falling one slot to No. 19.
Indiana will look to end its AP Poll skid in its second consecutive road game against Nebraska at noon Oct. 10.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
