Curt Cignetti has already led the Indiana Hoosiers to plenty of history during his two seasons in Bloomington. Most recently, Cignetti led the Hoosiers to their first-ever college football National Championship and became the first team in FBS history to orchestrate a perfect 16–0 season. Furthermore, Cignetti led Indiana to its first Big Ten title since 1967 and produced IU's first Heisman Trophy winner of the modern era in the form of Fernando Mendoza.
Curt Cignetti just landed a highly-touted 4-star recruit Indiana fans will love
Looking ahead, it's clear that the Hoosiers have plenty of staying power with Cignetti at the helm. For a program that was once an afterthought, Indiana is now expected to qualify for the College Football Playoff and compete for a national title in 2026.
Indiana is set to start the new season on Saturday, September 5 against North Texas. Anticipation for the Hoosiers to take the field as the defending national champs continues to build, and Cignetti already has Indiana poised for a historic achievement before the season even starts.
Indiana claiming its first Preseason AP Top-10 ranking seems inevitable
One of the signature signs that college football is right around the corner is the annual release of the Preseason AP Top-25 Poll, which is usually revealed in August. In the new era of the College Football Playoff rankings, the AP poll may not carry the weight that it once did. However, it is still a good measuring stick to give fans an idea of where each team stacks up heading into the new season.
Throughout the years, seeing Indiana appear on the preseason poll has not been a sight Hoosier fans are accustomed to seeing. In fact, in the history of the IU football program, the Hoosiers have been ranked in the preseason AP Top-25 on just four occasions.
Furthermore, Indiana has never been ranked in the Top-10 of the Preseason AP Poll. The highest the Cream and Crimson ever appeared was in the No. 13 slot way back in 1968. Last year, the Hoosiers entered the season ranked No. 20 in the Preseason AP Top-25 Poll before orchestrating the best season in program history.
Given the overwhelming success that the Hoosiers have found over the last two seasons, as well as the offseason roster additions Cignetti has made, Indiana finding its first-ever preseason Top-10 ranking seems like a surefire bet. To take things a step further, a preseason Top-5 ranking also seems inevitable, and being ranked No. 1 to start the season seems well within the realm of possibility.
Indiana already ranked No. 1 in multiple preseason rankings
With spring practice all wrapped up, new college football preseason rankings are fying around all over the place.
As the defending national champs, Indiana has already been listed as the No. 1 team in the country on multiple preseason rankings from national outlets. Most notably, both The Sporting News and The Athletic have Indiana pegged as the top team in the nation in their respective preseason Top-25 rankings.
That kind of praise and expectations were once thought to never be possible in Bloomington. Cut Cignetti has changed all of that. Now, Indiana is a football powerhouse that is expected to be in it until the end.
When the AP Poll rolls around in a few months, don't be surprised if the Hoosiers claim the top spot.
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