Indiana Football Doesn’t Make Top 25 Yet, But Hoosiers Are On The Verge

In both the Associated Press and coaches poll, Indiana football was just outside the Top 25.

Indiana's Elijah Green (21) runs during the Indiana versus Charlotte football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana is creeping closer to its first Associated Press Top 25 poll recognition since 2021.

In the AP Top 25 poll released on Sunday afternoon, Indiana – 52-14 winners over Charlotte on Saturday at Memorial Stadium – received 63 points in the poll. Not enough to put the Hoosiers into the Top 25, but they are closer to the top 25 than they have been since the 2021 preseason.

Indiana’s 63 points put the Hoosiers effectively 27th in the AP poll. The point total for Indiana increased by 50 from the poll released a week ago.

In the AP poll, points are assigned to each spot on a voter’s ballot. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, a 25th-place vote is worth one point.

After Indiana’s Week 3 victory at UCLA, Indiana received 13 points in the poll, being selected by five different voters. That put Indiana 34th among the teams that received votes.

Indiana’s 52-14 victory over Charlotte did nothing to dampen the Hoosiers’ worthiness for the poll. The Hoosiers are 4-0 for the first time since 2020 and for just the eighth time in program history.

The Hoosiers have scored 202 points in four games, the best scoring start to a season in school history. Indiana became the first FBS team in 2024 to top the 200-point barrier. Saturday’s 52-point effort marked the seventh time in Indiana history that it had two 50-point performances in a single season.

Indiana was last ranked in the 2021 preseason poll when the Hoosiers held the No. 17 spot. A season-opening 34-6 loss at Iowa knocked the Hoosiers out of the Top 25 and a 2-10 season in 2021 meant they did not return.

Three future Indiana opponents were in the AP Top 25 in the Sept. 15 poll, but one foe dropped out. No. 22 Nebraska lost 31-24 to No. 24 Illinois in overtime Friday. The Cornhuskers come to Bloomington on Oct. 19 – Indiana’s Homecoming contest. Nebraska now trails Indiana in the AP poll voting.

Two other future Indiana opponents – No. 3 Ohio State and No. 12 Michigan will play the Hoosiers in November. The Wolverines come to Memorial Stadium on Nov. 9. The Hoosiers go to Ohio Stadium to play the Buckeyes on Nov. 23.

Indiana does not play three other ranked Big Ten teams: No. 8 Oregon, No. 9 Penn State and No. 19 Illinois.

Here’s the full AP Top 25.

1. Texas, 4-0 (44).

2. Georgia, 3-0 (13).

3. Ohio State, 3-0 (5).

4. Alabama, 3-0.

5. Tennessee, 4-0.

6. Ole Miss, 4-0.

7. Miami (Fla.), 4-0.

8. Oregon, 3-0,

9. Penn State, 3-0.

10. Utah, 4-0.

11. Missouri, 4-0.

12. Michigan, 3-1.

13. USC, 2-1.

14. LSU, 3-1.

15. Louisville, 3-0.

16. Notre Dame, 3-1.

17. Clemson, 2-1.

18. Iowa State, 3-0.

19. Illinois, 4-0.

20. Oklahoma State, 3-1.

21. Oklahoma, 3-1

22. BYU, 4-0.

23. Kansas State, 3-1.

24. Texas A&M, 3-1.

25. Boise State, 2-1.

Other receiving votes (numbers listed are points assigned for votes, not the vote total): Washington State 67, Indiana 63, Boston College 55, UNLV 53, Pittsburgh 37, Nebraska 25, Iowa 24, James Madison 11, South Carolina 7, Liberty 4, Arkansas 3, UCF 3, Arizona 2, SMU 2, Navy 1.

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