Indiana is opening the 2026 season with plenty of national respect, at least in ESPN’s eyes. The defending national champion Hoosiers landed at No. 6 in the preseason Football Power Index, putting them squarely in the top 10 before a snap is played.
ESPN slotted Indiana behind only Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon and Georgia, and gave the Hoosiers a 23.1 rating. In FPI terms, that means Indiana would be expected to be 23.1 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field.
ESPN describes the system this way: “The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”
The numbers that follow are eye-catching. Indiana is given a 9.5 percent chance to go unbeaten, a 99.4 percent chance to win at least six games, an 18.7 percent chance to win the Big Ten, a 57 percent chance to reach the College Football Playoff, a 12.8 percent chance to make the CFP national championship and a 6.6 percent chance to win it all. The Hoosiers are projected for 10.1 wins.
The schedule also draws a clear line between Indiana and the rest of the Big Ten. IU’s projected strength of schedule checks in at No. 33, behind several league foes including Ohio State at No.
8, Michigan at No. 16, Northwestern at No.
17, USC at No. 19, Nebraska at No.
21, Purdue at No. 23, Washington at No.
25, Oregon at No. 26, Michigan State at No. 28 and Maryland at No.
Indiana’s individual opponents are spread across the FPI board as well. North Texas is No.
90, Howard is an FCS team and not ranked, Western Kentucky is No. 86, Northwestern is No.
60, Rutgers is No. 67, Nebraska is No.
30, Ohio State is No. 1, Michigan is No.
15, Minnesota is No. 63, USC is No.
13, Washington is No. 26 and Purdue is No. 71.
ESPN isn’t the only outlet high on the Hoosiers. Indiana is also ranked No. 5 in the preseason by Phil Steele, Lindy’s Sports and Athlon Sports.
In Other News...
Respected IU Board Member Walks Away As Bigger Concerns Grow
James Fielding, an Indiana University alumnus and three-term member of the IU Foundation board, is stepping away after deciding not to seek a fourth term, a move that lands at a sensitive moment for the university. Fielding said his concerns have grown around how the administration has handled questions from the board, along with the broader pressures now shaping higher education, and he pointed to frustrations over diversity and inclusion efforts as part of that unease.
Fielding also tied his departure to the shifting political climate around IU governance, where state actions have altered who holds influence inside the universitys leadership structure. Even as he leaves the board, he said he plans to keep supporting IU through other philanthropic channels, a sign that his break is with the institutions direction rather than the school itself. [Read more 🡒]
Trevor Manhertz Just Gave IU Fans An Early Reason To Watch
Trevor Manhertz has already spent more than a month around Indiana, and the early read on the 6-foot-8 forward is the kind Hoosier fans tend to like. As the third commitment in IUs 2026 class, he has been getting a head start on college life while the team gets ready for its trip to Lima, Peru, for the FISU America Games, and he spent part of a recent media session talking through the adjustment, the staff around him and the way he sees his own game fitting in.
Manhertz said the biggest change so far has been the physicality of college basketball, but he also sounded encouraged by the support system he has found on campus. He pointed to the coaching staff and to teammates such as Trent Sisley and Markus Burton as people helping him settle in, and the upcoming international run should give him and IU an early chance to build chemistry in a real game setting before the seasons bigger questions arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Recruiting Momentum Is Starting To Take Shape This July
Indianas first July evaluation period is already giving Darian DeVries and his staff a chance to get around and see the next wave of targets in person. The Hoosiers were at the adidas 3SSB event, where they took in a busy slate of games and continued the early work of building out relationships with prospects across multiple classes, a process that matters even more with a new staff trying to establish itself quickly.
The trip also included a look at Indiana commit Chase Branham, giving the Hoosiers a live check on a player already in the fold while the rest of the board keeps coming into focus. With DeVries and his assistants expected to keep moving from event to event through the evaluation period, the bigger question is how many of those in-person sightings turn into real traction once the summer circuit settles down. [Read more 🡒]