Where Should the Indiana Hoosiers Be Ranked Heading Into 2026?

With the 2026 college football season just a few weeks away, it is time to look at where the defending national champion Indiana Hoosiers should be ranked entering the regular season. There are plenty of valid arguments that have the Hoosiers at or near the top and maybe some that have IU outside of the top 10.

Why Should Indiana Be No. 1 to Start the Season?

Many will point to the fact that Indiana finished 16-0 and was number one last season as the main reason to put them at top entering this season. In this era of college football, there is too much turnover for that to be the sole reason to put a team at the top of the poll.

Indiana's case for being ranked at the top should be based on the fact that they reloaded in the portal in every area of need and may have the best offensive and defensive lines in the country.

The Hoosiers bring in Josh Hoover, who has thrown for over 9,000 career yards from TCU and have surrounded him with all types of weapons.

Additionally, the Hoosiers have a wall of protection in front of him with Carter Smith anchoring a veteran offensive line that should be a finalist for the Joe Moore Award again in 2026.

The defensive side of the ball may be even more loaded despite losing D'Angelo Ponds and Aiden Fisher. The defensive line is one of, if not the top, units in the country.

Both Isaiah Jones and Rolijah Hardy return at linebacker and Amare Ferrell, along with Wisconsin transfer Preston Zachman, anchor the back end at safety.

Ohio State, Oregon and Texas all have arguments to be above Indiana, but they also have questions that IU does not have to face.

Why Indiana Should be in the Top 10, but Not Number One?

Indiana's Josh Hoover (10) during Indiana University's football camp practice on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There is no team that is a clear-cut favorite to be the top team in the country. Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia, and Indiana all have their questions heading into the season. Starting with a clean slate, there is a case for all of them to be ahead of Indiana entering the season.

Ohio State has a Heisman finalist quarterback with Julian Sayin and the best offensive player in the sport in Jeremiah Smith.

Oregon returns Dontae Moore and has all sorts of weapons on offense to go along with a defensive line that could rival Indiana.

Texas has Arch Manning and Georgia could win the SEC, while Notre Dame returns CJ Carr at quarterback and has a massive chip on their shoulder after being left out of the College Football Playoff in 2025.

The Hoosiers are not without their own questions.

Hoover has been turnover-prone in the past. Alson, IU has to replace two 1,000-yard running backs and two NFL Draft picks at receivers.

The biggest losses may be on defense, where the Hoosiers lose D'Angelo Ponds, who allowed IU to not have to think about half of the field in the passing game, and linebacker Aiden Fisher, who was their green dot player.

Where Indiana Should Start the Season Ranked?

While the math got to it, the Coaches Poll probably got it correct. In their initial poll, the Coaches Poll had IU sixth in the nation. However, the math was funky, as IU had the second most first-place votes, while some voters put them down at 14th.

The Hoosiers are part of the top tier of teams that can win the national title and should get some first-place votes. The teams ranked ahead of them also have a case for first-place votes as well.

Indiana landed right where it should be placed, in the top tier of the sport with the handful of teams that can win the national title.

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