The No. 19 (AP Poll) team in the nation, the Indiana Hoosiers had a storybook season last season going 11-2 under first year head coach Curt Cignetti. Indiana took the college football world by storm last season with a magical run but their season ended in the first round of the College Football Playoff in a 27-17 loss to No. 5 Notre Dame (12-1).
Fast forward to 2025-26 and the Indiana Hoosiers program started off ranked in the top 25 of every major preseason poll, returning three All-Americans on defense and brought in quarterback Fernando Mendoza, running back Roman Hemby and three starters on the offensive line all through the transfer portal.
But after three dominant non-conference victories against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State the Indiana football program has yet to crack CBS Sports analyst Brandon Marcello'sTop 25 rankings.
Miami leads the way heading into Week 4. #CFB pic.twitter.com/sdb4kdMPus
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 16, 2025
This week marks third in a row without the Hoosiers logo placed in Marcello's power rankings. Seemingly, Indiana hasn't even been in the conversation to be considered for a spot in the top 30. When breaking down what he has considered as top college football programs in the country heading into Week 3 it seems that he does not respect the Hoosiers because of the level of competition that has been played so far but with Indiana facing No. 9 Illinois on Saturday things will change if IU wins the matchup.
After a super sluggish opener against Old Dominion, which resulted in a 26–14 win, the Hoosiers have found their stride, outscoring Kennesaw State and Indiana State by a combined 129-9.
The Hoosiers are favored by less than a touchdown as hosts, but either team could come out on top at Memorial Stadium on Saturday.