Indiana’s bye week didn’t knock the Hoosiers out of the national conversation, but it did cost them a little ground in one of the two major polls.
After sitting idle in Week 10, IU came out of Sunday’s rankings still sitting at No. 6 in the Associated Press top 25, but it slipped from No. 3 to No. 5 in the US LBM coaches’ top 25. The Hoosiers had spent the first nine weeks of the 2026 season on the field every week before the break.
The drop in the coaches’ poll came after Indiana opened the week at No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released last Tuesday. The AP voters kept the Hoosiers steady, while the coaches moved them back two spots.
Indiana’s path to the finish line is clear. The Hoosiers will close the regular season with USC on Nov.
14, Washington on Nov. 21 and Purdue on Nov. 28.
If IU wins all three, it would head back to the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The AP top 10 now features Georgia at No. 1, followed by Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Miami (FL), Indiana, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Texas Tech.
The Big Ten has four more teams in that poll: USC at No. 15, Iowa at No.
16, Oregon at No. 18 and Ohio State at No. 21.
In the coaches’ poll, the top 10 is Georgia, Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Indiana, Miami (FL), Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Texas Tech.
The Big Ten also placed USC at No. 14, Iowa at No.
15, Oregon at No. 19 and Ohio State at No. 20 in that ranking. Northwestern, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota also received votes.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Just Added Fuel To Indianas CFP Debate
Urban Meyer added another layer to the College Football Playoff debate this week by questioning how the committee is sorting out Indiana and Ohio State. He said he was confused by the gap between No. 4 Indiana and No. 12 Ohio State, especially with the Buckeyes holding a head-to-head win over the Hoosiers, and he took aim at the committees approach to nonconference schedules while arguing Ohio States ranking does not match how it has played.
For Indiana, the comments only sharpen an argument that has already been simmering around the programs place in the playoff picture. The Hoosiers record and rsum have kept them in the upper tier of the rankings, while Ohio States own profile includes a notable win over Indiana, creating a messy comparison the committee will have to keep defending. Meyers history with Ohio State also hangs over the discussion, which makes his criticism hard to separate from his old ties to the program. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Reclaimed Control Of A Big Ten Title Shot
Indianas path to the Big Ten championship game suddenly looks a lot clearer. Sitting in second place at 5-1, the Hoosiers now control their own fate after Ohio States consecutive losses reshuffled the top of the standings, giving Indiana a chance to finish the job without needing help from anyone else.
The twist, of course, is that the margin for error is still thin, and the leagues tiebreaker rules could come into play if Indiana slips again in conference play. Their October meeting with Ohio State already carried an asterisk after both quarterbacks were injured during the game, a reminder of how quickly the title picture can change in this league and why every remaining result matters so much. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Volleyball Delivered Two State Title Stories Fans Will Remember
The state finals brought two different kinds of breakthrough moments for Indiana volleyball fans to savor, with Indianapolis Lutheran and Benton Central each stepping into the spotlight after strong postseason runs. Indianapolis Lutheran handled Rossville in three sets to claim the Class 1A crown and capped a postseason in which it never dropped a set, while Benton Central outlasted Heritage Christian in four sets to take the Class 2A title.
For Benton Central, the victory carried a special kind of weight because it delivered the school its first team state championship in any sport. Both programs entered the championship matches ranked No. 2 in their classes, and both left with a bigger place in the state conversation, even if the paths they took to get there looked a little different. [Read more 🡒]