Indiana’s first real stumble of the season showed up in the AP Top 25.
The Hoosiers are still perfect at 4-0, and they still own a 20-game winning streak, but the narrow 29-23 win over Northwestern on Friday night was enough to cost Curt Cignetti’s team a spot in the Week 4 poll. Indiana slid from No. 5 to No. 6 after the latest rankings were released Sunday afternoon.
That drop came with a little reshuffling right above them. Miami (FL) moved up to No.
4, Ohio State climbed to No. 5, and Indiana settled in behind both. Texas remained No.
1, Georgia stayed at No. 2, and Notre Dame held at No. 3.
Florida made the loudest move of the week, jumping 13 spots to No. 8 after beating Ole Miss.
Indiana’s ranking has bounced around a bit already this season. The Hoosiers opened at No. 6 in the 2026 preseason poll, rose to No. 5 in Week 1, climbed again to No. 4 in Week 2, then slipped back to No. 5 after Week 3. Now, after surviving Northwestern, they’ve dropped another notch.
The Big Ten still has plenty of representation in the poll. Along with Ohio State at No. 5 and Indiana at No.
6, Iowa sits at No. 14, Oregon at No.
15, USC at No. 18, and UCLA at No. 23.
The good news for Indiana is that the schedule offers chances to climb right back. The Hoosiers are about to leave home for the first time in 2026, starting with a trip to Rutgers in Week 5.
Then comes Nebraska in Lincoln in Week 6. Indiana will likely be favored in both, and that sets up a path back toward the top five if the Hoosiers handle business.
The bigger October tests are still ahead. Indiana hosts No.
5 Ohio State on October 17, then goes to Michigan to face the Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Minnesota, No.
18 USC, and a road game at Washington also wait later on.
For now, the message from the poll is simple: Indiana took a hit, but nothing about its season is off track. The Hoosiers are still unbeaten, and that close call against Northwestern could look better as the year rolls on.
In Other News...
Indiana May Have Avoided A Bigger Problem Before Rutgers
Indiana got a little breathing room on the injury front as it turns its attention to Rutgers on Saturday night. Curt Cignetti said running back Turbo Richard and linebacker Rolijah Hardy, both hurt in the win over Northwestern, are expected to be available, easing some concern after both players left the game with injuries and were labeled day-to-day.
Richards lower leg and ankle issue had the potential to become a real complication for an offense that needs its depth intact, while Hardys exit after a tackle attempt briefly raised alarms on the defensive side. For a Hoosiers team heading into a primetime matchup, getting both back in the mix would help keep the rotation steady and prevent one game from turning into a bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Defense Has A New Standout And A Secondary Twist
Indianas win over Northwestern came with the kind of defensive backbone the Hoosiers have been looking for, and Stephen Daley was right in the middle of it. In limited snaps, he kept showing up around the ball with multiple pressures, tackles and a forced fumble, giving Indiana a disruptive edge that helped shape the 29-23 result. The broader snap counts and grades painted a fuller picture of a defense that had some strong individual work to lean on even while the unit sorted through a few uneven stretches.
The secondary was the other part worth watching, because the review of the game suggested more than one player made a case for a bigger role moving forward. Indiana got useful contributions across the back end, but the grades also pointed to a few spots where the coverage still has room to tighten up. For a team trying to build on a hard-fought conference win, that mix of emergence and uncertainty is exactly the kind of thing that can define what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Keeps Winning But AP Voters Still Arent Buying In
Indianas latest result looked like the kind of win that usually steadies a poll position, if not lifts it. The Hoosiers survived Northwestern 29-23 to stretch their winning streak to 20 games, stay unbeaten at 4-0 and keep adding to a run that has made Memorial Stadium feel like a weekly obstacle course for visiting Big Ten teams.
Still, the AP voters were not moved much. Indiana dropped one spot to No. 6 in the latest poll despite earning a first-place vote, the second straight week the Hoosiers have slid after a close conference opener. Under Curt Cignetti, the program has banked 19 straight home wins and taken 18 of its last 19 Big Ten games, but the rankings stubbornly remain one of the few places where the respect has not quite caught up. [Read more 🡒]