Post-Spring College Football Rankings Place Big Ten Giant at No. 1... And It's Not Ohio State

Many of the latest rankings lists have the Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 1, but Stewart Mandel of The Athletic went in a different direction.

After a 2025 season best described as a paradigm shift, this Big Ten program leads Stewart Mandel's post-spring Top 25 college football rankings at The Athletic. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The defending national champions still have plenty to prove as every college football season presents new challenges. Stewart Mandel of The Athletic released his post-spring Top 25 rankings for the 2026 season this week, and the Indiana Hoosiers, who went 16-0 a year ago, check in at No. 1. After visiting the program's campus this spring, Mandel said he saw no reason to rank them anywhere else.

In a lot of rankings this offseason, Indiana often isn't in the first slot, not even among Big Ten programs. Many analysts have a shine for the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Oregon Ducks. Mandel went in a different direction with the Hoosiers, and there is, of course, an argument to be made, starting with who's in charge of the football team.

Head coach Curt Cignetti has posted a 27-2 record over his first two seasons, a run that has rewritten what was thought to be possible in Bloomington. The Hoosiers won the Big Ten Championship, the Rose Bowl, the Peach Bowl and the CFP National Championship Game last season, becoming the first team to win 16 games in a single season since Yale in 1894. The school hadn't won a Big Ten title since 1967 and never won a national championship.

Turning the page to 2026, the Hoosiers lost eight players to the NFL Draft this offseason, including Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, plus All-Americans D'Angelo Ponds and Aiden Fisher. Mandel had the Hoosiers as low as No. 6 in his preseason rankings four months ago but saw enough this spring to move them back to the top spot.

Indiana's offense under construction this spring

The biggest storyline surrounding Indiana's spring was a shorthanded offense still finding its footing. TCU transfer Josh Hoover arrived as the crown jewel of the No. 1-ranked transfer portal class and drew scrutiny after former TCU head coach Sonny Dykes publicly questioned his turnover history.

Hoover finished his career at TCU with 9,629 passing yards, a 65.2% completion rate, 71 touchdowns and 33 interceptions, so the ball security questions are legitimate.

Cignetti isn't worried about the system fit, though. "Our offense will be a little different than TCU's offense," Cignetti said.

The Hoosiers are still breaking in many new players on offense, including starting quarterback Josh Hoover, a TCU transfer. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"They were about 58-60% pass, and that's putting a lot of pressure on a quarterback. Whereas even last year, we were 60% run, 40% pass. So you know that can only help the quarterback when you can run the ball."

The real spring concern was depth up front. "We're short right now on the offensive line," Cignetti said. "We've got one guy that's limited, so I'll count him as a half. We've got 11 and a half offensive linemen, and we've got three guys at tight end that are out for the spring."

Starting linemen Bray Lynch and Carter Smith and top receiver Charlie Becker were all limited, which compressed Hoover's development window considerably.

Why Indiana still belongs at the top

The defensive side of the ball may be the reason Indiana holds its position regardless of the offensive growing pains. Cignetti described the spring as "defense-dominated," with a unit that finished third nationally in points allowed and fourth in yards allowed a season ago, potentially even stronger in 2026.

Linebacker Rolijah Hardy captured the overall picture. "We're just a very disciplined defense with Coach Haines' playcalling, he's one of the best defensive coordinators out there," Hardy said. "He puts us in positions where we can just go out there and play fast, play physical."

Indiana's Rolijah Hardy figures to be one of the team leaders on defense in 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cignetti jumped from No. 21 to No. 1 in CBS Sports' Power 4 head coach rankings this offseason, a recognition that feels like the rest of college football has finally caught up to what the results have been saying for two years.

The depth of experience returning in the trenches and at key defensive spots gives Indiana a foundation that most preseason No. 1 teams simply don't have

The Hoosiers dropped from No. 5 to No. 9 in my latest post-spring college football rankings.