Indiana Football Ranked in AP Top 25 Poll For First Time Since 2021 Preseason

Following a 42-28 over Maryland that improved its record to 5-0, Indiana football made Sunday's AP Top 25 poll as the No. 23 team in the nation.

Indiana Hoosiers defensive backs D'Angelo Ponds (5) and Shawn Asbury II (1) celebrate an incompletion against Maryland at Memorial Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana is ranked No. 23 in the AP Top 25 poll, which came out Sunday afternoon.

With its first 5-0 start since 1967, the Hoosiers joined the national rankings for the first time since 2021 preseaon poll, when they were ranked No. 17. Indiana lost 34-6 at Iowa in the 2021 season opener, dropped out of the top 25 and never returned during the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Indiana moved on from coach Tom Allen following the 2023 season and hired coach Curt Cignetti, who became the first coach to begin his Indiana tenure with four straight wins. He extended that streak to five games on Saturday with a 42-28 win over Maryland.

The Hoosiers are one of five undefeated Big Ten teams and one of two teams with a 2-0 record in conference play, along with Michigan. Indiana leads the Big Ten with 244 points scored, and Ohio State is next with 195 points.

According to the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI), Indiana is ranked No. 16 in the nation with a projected record of 9.9-2.3. Two ESPN analysts, Bill Connelly and Harry Lyles Jr., predict Indiana will make the College Football Playoffs.

The FPI gives Indiana a 39.6% chance to make the 12-team College Football Playoffs, an 8.3% chance to win the Big Ten, a 100% chance to win six games, a 2.9% chance to make the national championship game, a 1.9% chance to win out and a 0.8% chance to win the national championship.

Next up, Indiana travels to Northwestern for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Ill., a temporary stadium on the lakefront that seats approximately 12,000 fans. Northwestern is 2-2 in its second season under coach David Braun following 24-5 loss at Washington on Sept. 21. The Wildcats have a bye week to prepare for the Hoosiers.

Other ranked Big Ten teams include No. 3 Ohio State, No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Penn State, No. 10 Michigan, No. 11 USC and No. 24 Illinois. Indiana only plays two of those six teams, with a home game against Michigan on Nov. 9 and a trip to Ohio State on Nov. 23.

Here's the full AP Top 25 college football poll.

1. Alabama (4-0)

2. Texas (5-0)

3. Ohio State (4-0)

4. Tennessee (4-0)

5. Georgia (3-1)

6. Oregon (4-0)

7. Penn State (4-0)

8. Miami (FL) (5-0)

9. Missouri (4-0)

10. Michigan (4-1)

11. USC (3-1)

12. Ole Miss (4-1)

13. LSU (4-1)

14. Notre Dame (4-1)

15. Clemson (3-1)

16. Iowa State (4-0)

17. BYU (5-0)

18. Utah (4-1)

19. Oklahoma (4-1)

20. Kansas State (4-1)

21. Boise State (3-1)

22. Louisville (3-1)

23. Indiana (5-0)

24. Illinois (4-1)

25. UNLV (4-0)

Others receiving votes: Arizona 106, Pittsburgh 42, Nebraska 30, Boston College 18, Iowa 17, James Madison 13, Oklahoma St. 8, South Carolina 8, Rutgers 7, Kentucky 6, Navy 6, SMU 4, Army 2, Colorado 1.

Related stories on Indiana football

• OPENING LINE: Indiana is a two-score favorite over Northwestern in Week 6. It would be the Hoosiers' first win at Northwestern since 1993. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA OVERCOMES MISTAKES TO BEAT MARYLAND: The Hoosiers gave Maryland chances to take over the game, but Indiana prevented that from happening in a 42-28 victory. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT CURT CIGNETTI SAID: Read Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti's comments after Indiana's 42-28 win over Maryland. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT ROURKE SAID: Here's the full transcript and video of Kurtis Rourke's comments after Indiana's win over Maryland. CLICK HERE

• CIGNETTI, PLAYERS APPRECIATE FAN SUPPORT: Despite rain, the largest crowd of the season showed up at Memorial Stadium to watch Indiana defeat Maryland. Later, Curt Cignetti sent a special message of thanks to IU students. CLICK HERE

• FOR KAMARA, BEATING MARYLAND WAS PERSONAL: Maryland did not offer a scholarship to Mikail Kamara out of Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Va. That made Saturday’s 42-28 win over the Terrapins extra special for the Hoosiers’ defensive lineman, who began his career at the FCS level at James Madison. CLICK HERE

• THIS WAS A DAY FOR INDIANA'S DEFENSE: The Hoosiers could have folded, but the defense ensured that they didn't. Todd's Take gives the Indiana defense proper credit for their winning effort. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Relieve all the action of Indiana's win over Maryland with Todd Golden's live blog. CLICK HERE