Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers are on the verge of receiving unprecedented preseason hype entering the 2026 college football season.
Indiana has never received a top-10 ranking in the preseason AP Poll, but that could change when the first poll of the season is released in August.
Following a perfect 16-0 season that resulted in a historic National Championship, Cignetti has the Hoosiers poised for another tremendous season in 2026. Cignetti is 27-2 at the helm of the Hoosier football program, and his leadership gives Indiana plenty of staying power in 2026 and beyond.
While the first AP Poll of the new season won't be released for a few months, plenty of national media outlets continue to sing the praises of Cignetit and the Hoosiers this offseason.
Indiana ranked No. 1 in preseason rankings by multiple national media outlets
Now that spring practice has wrapped up, new college football preseason rankings are making the rounds. After ending the season as the No. 1 team in the country, the Hoosiers are back at the college football mountaintop in preseason rankings from multiple outlets.
Both The Sporting News and The Athletic have Indiana pegged as the top team in the nation in their respective preseason Top-25 rankings. The high praise is nothing new for Cignetti and the Hoosiers this offseason, but it solidifies the expectations the IU football program now possesses.
Indiana is no longer an overlooked program. Instead, IU is expected to compete for another national title this season.
Bill Bender of The Sporting News praises Cignetti's strong portal additions, key returning contributors on both sides of the ball, and IU's favorable schedule early on as the main reasoning for Indiana's No. 1 ranking.
"Indiana is 27-2 the last two seasons under Cignetti – and the next wave of portal additions brought TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, Boston College running back Turbo Richard and Michigan State receiver Nick Marsh – who was a standout at the spring game. The Hoosiers also return several key returners from last year’s national championship team, including All-America tackle Carter Smith and receiver Charlie Becker on offense and defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker, linebacker Rolijah Hardy and cornerback Jamari Sharpe on defense. The schedule is set up for a fast start ahead of that Big Ten championship game rematch against Ohio State."Bill Bender
In the preseason rankings from The Sporting News, Indiana leads a Top-5 that consists of Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, and Notre Dame. The Athletic has a slightly different Top-5, with Oregon, Ohio State, Miami (FL), and Notre Dame following Indiana.
Indiana eyeing first ever preseason Top-10 ranking
After leading Indiana to the College Football Playoff during his first season in Bloomington, many college football fans across the country didn't expect that sort of success to continue for Indiana. They saw the 2024-25 season as a flash in the pan and something that wasn't likely to happen again.
But Cignetti proved the doubters wrong.
Indiana went on to orchestrate one of the best seasons in college football history, and became the first team to go 16-0 since Yale all the way back in 1894. Needless to say, a lot has changed in the college football world since then, and after such a historic season, Cignetti has Indiana poised for another monster season.
With all of the momentum and hype building up during the offseason, Indiana securing its first ever AP Top-10 preseason ranking seems like a surefire bet at this point in time.
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