Coming off a perfect 16-0 season and National Championship, the Indiana Hoosiers are re-tooled and re-loaded for another deep postseason run in 2026. With a top-ranked transfer portal class as well as plenty of key returners on both offense and defense, Curt Cignetti and company are among the preseason favorites to win it all again this season.
However, despite going 27-2 over his two seasons in Bloomington, apparently Cignetti hasn't done enough to earn a Top-5 ranking in the AP preseason poll. On Monday, the Associated Press released the first Top-25 poll of the new season, and Indiana came in at No. 6. That ranking is far too low, and puts the Hoosiers in a historically dangerous position.
Indiana’s Top-5 snub puts them in danger––according to history
The defending National Champions have been left out of the Top-5 in the AP preseason poll just three times in the CFP era, and just four times since 2008. In that span, those four teams getting snubbed haven't fared very well the following season.
In fact, each of the last four times that the reigning national champion was ranked outside the preseason Top-5, that team finished the season unranked. Those four teams were Michigan in 2024 (finished 7-5), LSU in 2020 (finished 5-5 in COVID-shortened season), Auburn in 2011 (finished 7-5), and LSU in 2008 (finished 7-5).
That isn't exactly the company the Hoosiers want to find themselves in. But Cignetti has what it takes to make Indiana avoid suffering a similar fate this season.
Curt Cignetti has what it takes to overcome this historical precedent
Regression can be expected when you win a national title. Players move on, coordinators get poached, and rosters endure significant overhauls. The Hoosiers lost plenty of talent to the NFL over the offseason, and have a significant amount of new faces on the roster this season.
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But Cignetti retains his entire coaching staff. That is huge. Both coordinators are back, and the 100% staff continuity is exceptionally rare in today's era of college football. Staffs endure changes on a year-to-year basis, and typically, assistant coaches of National Championship-winning teams tend to move on to head coaching jobs. But that is not the case for Cignetti and the Hoosiers, which is a major win.
Furthermore, Cignetti has proven that he has what it takes to prove the doubters wrong on a continuous basis. Cignetti has orchestrated the greatest turnaround in sports history at Indiana, and yet he continues to get doubted. What more does he have to do? How many big wins and accolades does he have to collect?
Along with a great mix of talent and an elite coaching staff that is all returning, Indiana's schedule sets up nicely. There are some tough matchups out there, but for the most part, the Hoosiers should be able to navigate their upcoming slate.
Put it all together and Cignetti and the Hoosiers have what it takes to avoid becoming the latest defending national champ to go from a preseason Top-5 snub to unranked by season’s end. IU football fans have plenty of faith in Cignetti's ability to deliver another monster season.
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