Indiana’s rise continued on Sunday, and this time it came with a No. 4 beside the Hoosiers’ name in the AP Top 25.
After a 13-6 overtime win at Michigan Stadium, Indiana jumped two spots in the latest Associated Press college football poll. The victory kept the Hoosiers undefeated and pushed Curt Cignetti’s team into a position that puts them squarely in College Football Playoff contention.
Saturday in Ann Arbor played out like a throwback Big Ten slugfest. Neither side found much room to breathe, and after four quarters the score was stuck at 6-6. Indiana finally broke through in overtime when quarterback Josh Hoover scored on a four-yard touchdown run to give the Hoosiers their first lead since the early part of the game.
Then came the defining snap. With Michigan facing a fourth down near the goal line, Indiana shut the door and stuffed the Wolverines short of the end zone. That stop set off a celebration on the visiting sideline and sealed one of the program’s most resilient wins in recent memory.
The Hoosiers’ defense did the heavy lifting all afternoon, holding Michigan to just two field goals and coming up with key turnovers at critical moments. That kind of performance has become a calling card for Indiana during this undefeated run: hard, disciplined, and calm when the pressure spikes.
The reward showed up in the rankings, where Indiana now sits behind only Miami, Ohio State, and Georgia. For the Hoosiers, No. 4 is more than just a number. It’s the latest sign that this season keeps breaking new ground.
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The concern is harder to ignore on offense, where this group has not matched the production Indiana enjoyed in previous seasons. The Hoosiers can survive with a dominant defense for now, but the margin shrinks against top-10-caliber teams, and how they handle those offensive issues from here will say a lot not just about this season, but about where the program is headed next. [Read more 🡒]
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Western Kentucky, coached by Hank Plona, brings its own test into the building, led by scorer Teagan Moore and guard Armelo Boone. For Indiana, the setting is less about the record than the last tune-up, the final opportunity to work through rotations and sharpen details before moving on to the part of the schedule that will define what this team is. [Read more 🡒]