College Football HQ

Kirk Herbstreit's college football rankings has surprise No. 1 team

"College GameDay" analyst Kirk Herbstreit surprisingly names the best team in college football. Find out why Herbstreit has a new team atop his college football rankings.
Jonathan Adams|
Kirk Herbstreit speaks on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.
Kirk Herbstreit speaks on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Indiana Hoosiers

Two teams have widely been mentioned as potentially the best programs in college football. There appears to be a new horse entering the race.

Miami and Ohio State took the early lead as the top college football programs to start the season. ESPN's "College GameDay" analyst Kirk Herbstreit has a surprise team atop his college football rankings. Herbstreit explained why he is changing his tune on Indiana after their upset victory over Oregon.

"I think you have to respect what Curt Cignetti has done, but they didn't beat a team with a winning record last year," Herbstreit explained in an interview on the "Dan Patrick Show" on Tuesday. "The two times that they had a chance against winning-record teams were Ohio State and Notre Dame, and they lost both those games.

"They're still doing a good job, but let's not put them up in the elite category yet. And then they did what they did against Illinois, and then they followed up with the win against Oregon. They deserve all the credit in the world," Herbstreit continued.

"In fact, this week, I have them at No. 1 in the country, just slightly ahead of Ohio State, just because of what they did against Illinois and against Oregon. Yeah, on the road, especially at Oregon."

Curt Cignetti squashes Penn State rumors by signing a lucrative $92 million contract extension at Indiana

It has been a big week for Indiana. Not only are the Hoosiers receiving praise for their impressive win at Oregon, but head coach Curt Cignetti reaffirmed his commitment to Indiana.

Cignetti had been one of the top candidates floated as a fit for the Penn State vacancy. Indiana announced Cignetti inked an eight-year, $92 million contract extension, putting to rest the Penn State rumors.

Kirk Herbstreit's college football rankings have Indiana as the No. 1 team

The AP Poll voters are not quite as bullish on Indiana. Ohio State remains the No. 1 team followed by Miami at No. 2. Indiana is not too far behind at No. 3 in the college football rankings.

Herbstreit has Indiana at No. 1 with Ohio State a close second. The ESPN analyst has Miami at No. 3, Texas A&M at No. 4 and Texas Tech rounding out his top-five college football teams heading into Week 8.

Published
Jonathan Adams
JONATHAN ADAMS

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports writer who has written for notable outlets and interviewed some of the top athletes for more than 10 years. Since 2015, his sports coverage has been read by tens of millions and has been prominently featured on Heavy, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and more. Jonathan is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a voter for the Maxwell Award and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. He has interviewed many of the biggest stars in sports — Bryce Harper, Jayden Daniels, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Micah Parsons to name a few — and has traveled the country to cover the College Football Playoff, NFL draft, Masters, March Madness, Senior Bowl, McDonald’s All-American Game and beyond. Jonathan Adams studied at the University of Central Florida and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He holds master degrees in sport business management, business administration and theology & culture.

Share on XFollow JonDAdams
Home/News