Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers moved to 5-0 on the season with a decisive 47-15 win over Rutgers on Saturday night. It was a dominating effort from start to finish, as Indiana out-gained Rutgers by a margin of 592-294 and never trailed in the contest.
The Hoosiers entered Week 5 ranked as the No. 6 team in the country via the AP Top-25 Poll, which is where they stood heading into the 2026 campaign. Indiana moved up as high as No. 4 earlier this season, but after the most recent poll was released on Sunday afternoon, have now dropped in the rankings for three consecutive weeks.
Indiana falls again in AP Poll following Rutgers win
The Week 5 AP Top-25 Poll has been released, and Indiana continues to trend in the wrong direction. The Hoosiers now sit in the No. 7 spot, falling one spot following their win over Rutgers in Week 5.
Indiana was jumped by Alabama, who took down Mississippi State 56-23 on Saturday afternoon. The Hoosiers and Crimson Tide switched spots in the poll from last week, with Alabama now at No. 6 and Indiana at No. 7.
It's worth noting that Mississippi State, the team that got boat-raced by 33 points at home to Alabama, only fell one spot from No. 16 to No. 17. Meanwhile, Iowa dropped six spots from No. 14 to No. 20 after losing by 17 points at home to Ohio State.
BREAKING: College Football AP Poll🚨https://t.co/ZeYnSxjUiI pic.twitter.com/3wEByTQqqs
— On3 (@On3) October 4, 2026
Texas was on a bye and retains the top spot. The rest of the Top-5 remains unchanged with Georgia at No. 2, Notre Dame at No. 3, Miami (FL) at No. 4, and Ohio State holding steady at No. 5.
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Along with Ohio State at No. 5 and Indiana at No. 6, other Big Ten teams featured in this week's poll include Oregon at No. 13, USC at No. 19, Iowa at No. 20, and UCLA at No. 21.
AP Poll continues to doubt Indiana, while Cignetti and the Hoosiers continue to dominate
What has Indiana done to justify falling in the AP Poll for three consecutive weeks? They haven't trailed all season long. Cignetti's team has been overpowering every week, which has resulted in their winning streak being extended to 21 games. Sure they had some struggles with Northwestern a few weeks ago, but the Wildcats are a strong team. Look what they just did to Penn State. At 3-1, it's tough to believe Northwestern isn't ranked in this week's poll.
Indiana was expected to take care of business against Rutgers, and that's exactly what happened. Josh Hoover threw four more touchdown passes, while the offense as a whole put up some monster numbers. In fact, Indiana became the first Big Ten team since 1995 to have two running backs and two receivers all account for over 100 yards. On the ground, Turbo Richard ran for 204 yards and a touchdown while Lee Beebe Jr. added 124 yards and a score. In the receiving game, Nick Marsh paced the Hoosiers with 120 yards and a touchdown while Charlie Becker collected 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Now the Hoosiers will enter Week 6 and head to Nebraska ranked as the No. 7 team in the country. It will be a tough test, but Hoosier fans have plenty of confidence in Cignetti's ability to keep things rolling in a major way. Although, they can't be caught looking ahead to a massive matchup against No. 5 Ohio State on Oct. 17.
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