Lindy’s Sports is betting on Indiana to land in the middle of the Big Ten pack next season, slotting the Hoosiers seventh in its 2026-27 preseason league rankings.
The annual preview magazine, now on newsstands, also projects IU to reach the NCAA tournament and get to the Round of 32.
Indiana checks in at No. 27 in Lindy’s preseason top 40, one of 11 Big Ten teams to make that cut. The league’s highest-ranked team is Illinois at No. 3, followed by Michigan State at No.
4, Michigan at No. 10, USC at No.
18, Ohio State at No. 19, UCLA at No.
22, Indiana at No. 27, Purdue at No.
28, Maryland at No. 32, Iowa at No. 34 and Nebraska at No.
IU’s non-conference schedule also includes three opponents in the top 40: Arkansas at No. 8, Kentucky at No. 17 and Missouri at No. 26.
On the player side, Lindy’s placed Indiana’s Aiden Sherrell at No. 77 and Markus Burton at No. 90 in its top 150 national rankings. Sherrell also landed on Lindy’s third-team All-Big Ten list.
The magazine’s Big Ten player awards lean heavily toward the top of the league hierarchy. Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. is the preseason player of the year pick, while UCLA’s Nikola Kusturica is the newcomer of the year choice.
Fears Jr. and Michigan’s Elliot Cadeau were named first-team preseason All-Americans, along with Illinois’ David Mirkovic earning second-team honors. In Lindy’s top 150, Fears Jr. sits at No. 1 and Cadeau at No. 6.
Lindy’s preseason All-Big Ten teams are stacked with familiar names. The first team features Cadeau, Fears Jr., Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort, Mirkovic and Kusturica.
The second team includes Ohio State’s John Mobley Jr., Michigan’s Trey McKenney, Wisconsin’s Nolan Winter, Ohio State’s Anthony Thompson and Maryland’s Pharrel Payne. The third team is made up of USC’s Rodney Rice, Illinois’ Stefan Vaaks and Quentin Coleman, Michigan State’s Coen Carr and Sherrell.
At the conference level, Lindy’s sees Illinois as the Big Ten favorite, with Michigan State, Michigan, USC, Ohio State, UCLA, Indiana, Purdue, Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, Rutgers, Northwestern and Penn State following in that order.
In Other News...
Indiana QB Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Big Ten Shakeup
The Big Ten quarterback pecking order got a jolt after Week 2, and Indiana has a new face sitting at the top of it. Josh Hoover moved into the No. 1 spot after a strong start, giving the Hoosiers a notable bit of national recognition in a conference where the quarterback conversation can change fast from one Saturday to the next.
Elsewhere in the league, the standings were just as volatile. Ohio States Julian Sayin slipped from No. 1 to No. 4 after the loss to Texas, while USCs Maiava, Penn States Becht and Michigans Underwood all shifted based on their latest outings. For Indiana, Hoovers rise is a reminder that in a league loaded with big names, a good couple of weeks can suddenly put a quarterback and his team right in the middle of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Got Bad News In A Key 2027 Recruiting Fight
Indianas push to reshape its frontcourt already had an important early piece in place with Felix Kiehlneker, the 7-foot-1 German center who committed to the Hoosiers as part of the 2027 class. That addition fit neatly with Darian DeVries plan to lean hard into size and interior talent after last seasons struggles, and it gave Indiana a foothold in a recruiting cycle where the paint is clearly a priority.
The next step has gotten more complicated with five-star target Darius Wabbington, one of the top names on Indianas board, moving up his official visit to Illinois. For a program trying to build momentum in the frontcourt, any shift like that matters, especially when a rival is pressing harder for the same elite big man. The Hoosiers still have time to make their case, but the race for Wabbington now looks a little tighter than it did before. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Easy Schedule Just Sparked A Bigger Hoosiers Debate
Indianas non-conference football schedule has become more than a calendar note, and under the current College Football Playoff setup it carries real strategic weight. Choosing lighter early opponents can reduce the chance of an early stumble that might damage playoff hopes, and it is easy to see why a coaching staff would value that margin for error.
Still, the approach comes with a tradeoff that keeps surfacing in the broader discussion around the Hoosiers. Easier games may protect the record, but they can also leave less room for competitive preparation and player development, which is why there is a growing case for wanting a tougher slate even while understanding the logic behind the way it is built. [Read more 🡒]