We’re within weeks of the start of the college football season and you know what that means: preseason rankings.
The usual suspects, the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Top-25, have been out for weeks now and have the Hoosiers at No. 6 entering 2026. But what about the fun ones? The Athletic goes through the entirety of FBS every preseason and attempts to rank every team, this year’s being 1-138. The rankings, of course, adjust as the season goes on and will be fun to follow each week.
Where did Indiana land in this year’s preseason 138? Well, all the way at the top, No. 1, right where the Hoosiers left off last season.
Chris Vannini, the list’s author, notes the disrespect in the No. 6 ranking from the two major polls, asking if the same ranking would apply to a defending national champion from a larger brand. He also cites additions like quarterback Josh Hoover, running back Turbo Richard and wide receiver Nick Marsh as reasons to rank the Hoosiers up at No. 1.
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