Curt Cignetti’s first Indiana team was was predicted to finish No. 18 in the Big Ten ahead of the 2024 campaign.
In year two his Hoosiers are predicted to be the No. 19 in the country according to the preseason coaches top-25 released on Monday. Even that is probably being perceived as a sign of disrespect in Bloomington.
IU is joined from the Big Ten in the first national rankings by Ohio State (2), Penn State (3), Oregon (7), Illinois (12) and Michigan (14). Indiana was also predicted to finish sixth in the Big Ten by the media two weeks ago.
Indiana is coming off an 11-2 season and an appearance in the College Football Playoff. Their only losses on the season came against the two teams that played in the national title game. And both of those games were played on the road.
The Hoosiers play three of the ranked Big Ten teams in 2025, with their games against Penn State and Oregon on the road. Their week four game hosting Illinois has sold out.
Also receiving votes from the Big Ten are USC, Iowa, Nebraska, Washington and Minnesota. IU plays at Iowa among that group.
Cignetti is one of the voters on the panel of coaches.
The ranking comes with a dose of caution. Indiana was last ranked before a season in 2021, and they finished that year 2-10, starting a three-year collapse that led to the Cignetti era. The Hoosiers were No. 17 in the 2021 preseason polls but lost to Iowa in the opener and never returned to the rankings.
The Hoosiers returned to the national polls in 2024, soaring to as high as No. 5.
Here is the full preseason coaches poll:
2025 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Penn State
4. Georgia
5. Notre Dame
6. Clemson
7. Oregon
8. Alabama
9. LSU
10. Miami
11. Arizona State
12. Illinois
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Ole Miss
16. SMU
17. Florida
18. Tennessee
19. Indiana
20. Kansas State
T21. Texas A&M
T21. Iowa State
23. BYU
24. Texas Tech
25. Boise State
Others Receiving Votes
Oklahoma 221; Missouri 142; Louisville 126; USC 116; Utah 86; Baylor 76; Auburn 50; Iowa 49; Memphis 34; Army West Point 33; Tulane 31; Georgia Tech 27; TCU 24; Nebraska 19; Syracuse 16; Washington 15; Navy 14; Arkansas 14; Duke 12; Colorado 12; Minnesota 11; UNLV 8; Florida State 8; Kansas 6; Vanderbilt 3; Buffalo 1;
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