The new college football season will be getting underway shortly, and the excitement around the country is off the charts.
The preseason rankings have now come out, and there are some interesting parts to the list. Oregon and Ohio come in atop the list, while Georgia, Notre Dame, and Texas round out the top five.
One of the more fascinating parts of the ranking is where reigning champion Indiana landed. The Hoosiers are ranked outside the top five, coming in at number six to open the season.
Indiana Hoosiers Get Bad News
The Hoosiers did lose a ton of talent to the NFL from their title-winning season last year, but this spot on the rankings is significant. According to ESPN, in each of the last four times that the defending champion has been ranked outside the preseason top-five, the team has ended the year unranked.
The 2024 Michigan Wolverines, 2020 LSU Tigers, 2011 Auburn Tigers, and 2008 LSU Tigers were all the latest for this to happen too. So, the Hoosiers will be looking to prove themselves among the elite teams once again, while trying to buck this interesting trend.
Indiana is outside the top 5 to start the season 👀
Each of the last four times the reigning national champion was ranked outside the preseason top 5, that team finished the season unranked (’24 Michigan, ’20 LSU, ’11 Auburn, ’08 LSU). pic.twitter.com/Jm5gktdnbW
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) August 17, 2026
Can Indiana Hoosiers Overcome Preseason Ranking?
As the Hoosiers get ready for their title defense, the team will have to overcome all the talent loss from last season. This could be tricky, and other teams in the past haven’t been able to handle it.
But head coach Curt Cignetti isn’t concerned about this. Instead, the coach is excited about the depth of the roster this season.
“More depth this year for sure,” Cignetti said. “But still, there’s areas where we have to develop players. Might be counting on some younger guys at certain spots to fill in depth.”
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is gone, with Josh Hoover coming in to replace him. Hoover, a transfer from TCU, has some big shoes to fill, but he’s a talented player who can help this team compete.
Last season with the Horned Frogs, Hoover threw for 3,472 yards for 29 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Hoover will need to cut down the turnovers, but the Hoosiers are in a good spot with him under center.
However,, the new quarterback for Indiana is embracing the pressure being placed on him at his new school. Indiana will need Hoover to play up to par if they are to break the curse around the preseason ranking.
“My quarterback coach, Tino Sunseri, when I got here he said if you want to become the new you, you have to kill the old you,” Hoover said. “Going back to the foundation and breaking old habits and reestablish how we play football and how the quarterback plays here, and committing to that and hold myself accountable to our standards of quarterbacks.”
The Hooisers open the new year at home against North Texas on Sept. 5, giving them a chance to start the season off on a high note.
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