Where Did Indiana Hoosiers Football Finish in Post-Spring SP+ Rankings?

ESPN's Bill Connelly recently released his updated post-spring SP+ rankings, a system he developed over a decade ago that measures efficiency and tempo (among other things) for college football teams.

According to Connelly, the SP+formula "is a predictive measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football, not a resume ranking."

ESPN predicts the Hoosiers to win eight games this season while ranked the Hoosiers with the the No. 31-ranked strength of schedule.

Indiana came in at No. 23 in the SP+ rankings, which is sixth-highest in the Big Ten.

1. Returning production. The returning production numbers are based on rosters I have updated as much as humanly possible to account for transfers and attrition. The combination of last year’s SP+ ratings and adjustments based on returning production makes up about two-thirds of the projections formula.

2. Recent recruiting. This piece informs us of the caliber of a team’s potential replacements (and/or new stars) in the lineup. It is determined by the past few years of recruiting rankings in diminishing order (meaning the most recent class carries the most weight). This is also impacted by the recruiting rankings of incoming transfers, an acknowledgment that the art of roster management is now heavily dictated by the transfer portal.

3. Recent history. Using a sliver of information from the previous four seasons or so gives us a good measure of overall program health.

The current SP+ says Indiana has the No. 30 offense, No. 25 defense and the No. 29 special teams.  The Hoosiers rank 38th overall in returning production, including 50th on offense and 41st on defense.

Here is how Connelly’s latest SP+ model ranks the 18 teams in the Big Ten, with Indiana projected to be the sixth-best overall team in the B1G. Teams in bold are on the Hoosiers 2025 schedule.

1. Ohio State
3. Penn State
7. Oregon
10. Michigan
19. Illinois
23. Indiana
28. Iowa
30. USC
34. Nebraska
37. Wisconsin
39. Washington
40. Minnesota
45. Rutgers
51. UCLA
64. Michigan State
70. Maryland
87. Northwestern
101. Purdue

The three teams on Indiana's 2025 non-conference schedule are Old Dominion (No. 103), Kennesaw State (No. 131), Indiana State (FCS).

Last season, Indiana finished at No. 11 in the SP+ rankings with the No. 18-ranked offense, No. 15-ranked defense and No. 24-ranked special teams. The Hoosiers were the fourth-highest ranked overall team in the Big Ten.