The AP preseason poll already gives Indiana fans a pretty clear picture: the Hoosiers are set up for a heavyweight 2026 slate, with four ranked opponents on the schedule. And while the preseason rankings are a useful starting point, history says plenty will change before those matchups actually arrive. Last year alone, 12 teams that opened in the preseason poll finished unranked.
Indiana enters the season at No. 6 after Curt Cignetti completely reshaped the roster, and the expectation is that the Hoosiers will be in the national-title mix again after going 16-0 last season. The real question now is what those ranked opponents will look like by the time Indiana sees them.
The biggest one comes first. On October 17, Indiana hosts Ohio State in Week 7, and that game has all the makings of the season’s marquee test.
The Buckeyes are No. 1 in the AP preseason poll, but they also have one of the most punishing schedules in the country before they ever get to Bloomington. They’ll visit No.
5 Texas and No. 22 Iowa, host Illinois, and take on a slate that could easily shake up the top of the rankings.
The prediction here is that Ohio State drops at Texas but wins the rest, which would push the Buckeyes out of No. 1 without sending them sliding too far. By the time they meet Indiana, they’re projected to be No.
The next ranked opponent comes in Week 8, when Indiana travels to Michigan. The Wolverines open at No. 16, and first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham is walking into a demanding early stretch.
Michigan will see No. 10 Oklahoma in Week 2, No.
22 Iowa in Week 4, and No. 18 Penn State in Week 7 before the Hoosiers show up.
Oklahoma and Iowa are both at home, while Penn State comes on the road against a new-look team led by Matt Campbell. Even so, Whittingham’s track record suggests Michigan should be steady from the jump.
The prediction has the Wolverines sitting at No. 14 when Indiana arrives.
USC is next on the list, and that one feels volatile. The Trojans are No. 14 in the preseason poll and head into what could be a make-or-break year for Lincoln Riley.
USC still has plenty of talent, and Jayden Maiava is back after putting up huge numbers last season. They should open 4-0 with wins over San Jose State, Fresno State, Louisiana, and Rutgers.
After that, though, the schedule turns brutal, with games against No. 2 Oregon, No.
17 Washington, No. 18 Penn State, a trip to Wisconsin, and a showdown with No.
1 Ohio State in the five games before Indiana. That stretch could leave USC with multiple losses, and the projection here is that the Trojans are still ranked, but just barely, at No. 25 when they face the Hoosiers in Week 11.
The last ranked opponent on Indiana’s schedule is Washington, and that one could be much bigger than the preseason number suggests. The Huskies open at No. 17, but there’s real belief they’ll be climbing by the time Indiana heads to Seattle on November 21 in Week 12.
Jedd Fisch is in Year 3, and Washington has already gone from six wins in his first season to nine last year. Demond Williams is back at quarterback and is being talked about as a legitimate Heisman contender, while the defense is expected to be significantly better.
Washington also has a workable path before Indiana, with games at No. 14 USC and at home against No.
22 Iowa and No. 18 Penn State.
The prediction has the Huskies at No. 8, and they could be in the mix for the Big Ten title game by then.
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Indiana football is on the verge of doing something Memorial Stadium has not seen in generations. Indiana University is expected to sell out all eight home games in 2026, and the schools official ticket site already shows no remaining tickets available. The significance goes beyond a hot ticket market, because this would be the programs first full season sellout since 1969, even with the stadium carrying more capacity than it did back then.
For a fan base that has spent years waiting for football at Indiana to feel different, the timing is hard to miss. The Hoosiers also enter that season with a 15-game home winning streak, the longest in the country, which has helped turn Bloomington into one of the more difficult places to visit in college football. The only real question now is how much further this surge can stretch once those stands are full from opening day through the final home date. [Read more 🡒]
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For Indiana followers, it is part of a broader run of updates worth noting. Kaelon Black has returned to 49ers practice, Kurtis Rourkes injury status remains a storyline to monitor, and Cam Jones has re-signed with the Chiefs. But the most immediate spotlight belongs to two former Hoosiers who know each other well, even if their usual conversation will have to wait until after the game. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Finebaum Just Gave Indiana Fans A New Reason To Push Back
Indianas perfect 2025 run ended with its first national championship under Curt Cignetti, but the Hoosiers are still finding out that winning the whole thing does not guarantee universal respect. Even after going 16-0, they opened the 2026 preseason AP Poll at No. 6, a placement that reflects both the challenge of replacing Fernando Mendoza and the reality that the rest of the country is not ready to hand them the benefit of the doubt just yet.
Paul Finebaum added to that debate by questioning Indianas nonconference slate while pointing to the grind that awaits in the Big Ten. For Hoosiers fans, it is another reminder that the defending champs will spend all season trying to prove last year was no fluke, and the ranking discussion may linger until they start stacking wins against the kind of opponents that shape the playoff picture. [Read more 🡒]