The AP preseason poll is about to put Indiana in a very familiar spot: near the top, but probably not all the way at No. 1.
The ranking is set to drop Monday, August 17, and with the Hoosiers coming off a national championship, they’re going to be one of the biggest names in the conversation. Still, the early signs from other preseason polls suggest Curt Cignetti’s team may have to settle for something short of the top line.
Cleveland.com’s Big Ten media preseason poll for the 2026 season had Indiana third in the league behind Ohio State and Oregon. That poll has become the Big Ten’s unofficial preseason standard, since the conference doesn’t release one of its own.
Then came the USA Today preseason coaches poll on August 4, and Indiana landed at No. 6. Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Texas, and Notre Dame filled the top five.
Put those two polls together, and the picture gets pretty clear: Indiana is almost certainly going to open inside the AP top 10, but the safest bet is that the Hoosiers come in at No. 5 or No. 6 rather than No. 1.
That said, the case for Indiana at the top is easy to make.
Cignetti has lost just two games in two years, and he has transformed the program from an afterthought into a national power at a remarkable pace. He enters the 2026 season with his entire coaching staff back from last year’s title team, plus the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class according to On3. There’s also plenty of production returning on both sides of the ball.
The defensive front, in particular, looks loaded. Indiana brings back the Top-5 sack leaders from a year ago, which gives the Hoosiers a front that should make every opponent pay attention.
One thing is certain: Indiana has never been ranked in the AP preseason top 10. That streak looks destined to end this year. A No. 1 ranking would be the boldest outcome, but even if the voters don’t go that far, the Hoosiers are set to start the season with the kind of respect this program has never had before.
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Josh Hoover Faces Immediate Pressure In Indianas Demanding New Culture
Josh Hoovers transition into Indiana has been shaped as much by the programs culture as by the quarterback room itself. The Hoosiers have put a premium on discipline and detail under Curt Cignetti and his staff, and Hoover has talked openly about how that environment has pushed him to rethink his approach, clean up old habits and buy into the standards being set around him.
For Hoover, the assignment is bigger than simply learning a new system. Indiana wants steadier play and fewer mistakes from its quarterbacks, and he has already pointed to turnover reduction as a major part of his own growth. The challenge now is holding onto that progress while adjusting to a staff that has made it clear the margin for error is slim and the expectations are immediate. [Read more 🡒]