Indiana football has officially reached the national landscape.
The Hoosiers cracked The Associated Press Top 25 poll Sunday, slotting in at No. 23. It’s the first time Indiana has been ranked since Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Boasting their first 5-0 record since 1967, the Hoosiers — led by first-year head coach Curt Cignetti — have orchestrated one of college football’s biggest turnarounds. They went 3-9 a season ago, which prompted the firing of coach Tom Allen and almost all his staff.
Cignetti flipped the roster, bringing in 54 new players from last winter through the summer, and Indiana has flourished as a result.
The Hoosiers received 13 votes after beating UCLA on the road in Week 3, which placed them No. 34 nationally. The week after — with a 52-14 victory over the University of North Carolina at Charlotte added to its resume — Indiana landed at No. 27 with 63 votes.
Now, just one day after a 42-28 win over Maryland at Memorial Stadium, the Hoosiers have secured the elusive number next to their name — with hopes of climbing further as the season progresses.
Indiana returns to the field at 3:30 p.m. EST Saturday against Northwestern (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
