Indiana Won the National Championship — So Why Is Everyone Picking Against the Hoosiers?
I am a ballot. One of sixty-two in the Associated Press preseason poll, filled out in pen at a kitchen table in August, submitted before a single snap has been taken. Mine has Indiana at No. 6, and I have been defending that number to strangers at gas stations ever since. Because here is the thing about the 2026 college football season: the defending national champions are not No. 1. They are not No. 2. They are sixth, with exactly eight first-place votes out of 62, and the man who picked them sixth is getting asked to explain himself at a barbecue. Fine. I'll explain.
First, the résumé, because it deserves to be said plainly. Indiana football went 16-0 last season. Undefeated. First national championship in school history, won 27-21 over Miami on January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium, plus the program's first Big Ten title. Two years before that, this team was 2-10. Curtis Cignetti took over a program that lived in a basement and never lost a game in two seasons. That is not a cute story. That is one of the greatest rebuilds in the history of the sport — and my ballot still says No. 6. Here's the math.
Reason One: The Heisman Quarterback Is Gone
Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy throwing for 4,597 yards and 41 touchdowns, and then he went to the NFL. That's not a hole in the roster; that's a hole in the identity. Indiana also lost the core of its backfield — Sarratt, Cooper, Hemby and Black, who combined for more than 2,100 rushing yards. When a perfect season graduates that much production, a preseason ballot isn't measuring what you did. It's measuring what's left: 56 percent returning production, tied for 51st in the country. Champions get judged on the trophy case in December. Ballots get judged on the roster in August.
Reason Two: The Replacements Are Genuinely Interesting
Here's where I'll argue with my own ballot a little. Indiana hit the transfer portal like a team that knows exactly what it lost — the No. 8 portal class in the country. Josh Hoover comes in from TCU with more than 9,600 career passing yards and 31 starts; the concern is the 13 interceptions from last season, but the arm and the experience are real. Nick Marsh, the Michigan State wide receiver, is the kind of downfield threat that makes a new quarterback's life easier. And the defense got portal reinforcements at every level — Obiazor, Osunsanmi, Burnham. This is not a rebuild. It's a re-tool with a target on its back.
Reason Three: History Is Rude to Finalists
ESPN's researchers dropped the stat that haunts every AP voter's August: of the last eight teams to play in the national championship game, six missed the playoff entirely the following season. The odds-makers agree — Indiana is +900 to repeat and -350 just to make the College Football Playoff, and Paul Finebaum has spent the entire offseason explaining to anyone with a microphone why the Hoosiers can't possibly do it again. The SEC placed nine teams in the preseason poll without receiving a single first-place vote — that's how wide open this season feels — and Ohio State, at No. 1 with 40 of 62 first-place votes, looms on Indiana's schedule October 17 in Bloomington.
So that's my defense: champions get respect, ballots get doubts, and No. 6 is where those two forces meet. The ring ceremony came on September 5 against North Texas — and the answer on the field was a 52-16 rout, the 17th straight Indiana win. Every doubt still gets answered there, which is the only place they ever do.
Two Jerseys for a Season With a Target on Its Back
The best part of a title defense is the wardrobe. For the believers, the #1 Indiana Hoosiers 2025 National Champions commemorative jersey in white — $59.99 — is the celebration piece, the one you wear to the ring ceremony and never wash. And for the game that decides the Big Ten, Jeremiah Smith's No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes jersey — $69.90 — is the shirt of the man most likely to ruin Indiana's October, worn by the best receiver in college football on the No. 1 team in the country.
And if you'd rather put your own name on a jersey, our customization guide shows you exactly how.
FAQ: Indiana's 2026 Championship Repeat Bid
When is Indiana's first game of the 2026 season?
Indiana opened the 2026 season on September 5 against North Texas in Bloomington and won 52-16, with the championship ring ceremony for the 2025 national title team held before kickoff.
Why is Indiana ranked No. 6 despite winning the national championship?
The defending champions lost Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who threw for 4,597 yards and 41 touchdowns, plus running backs who combined for over 2,100 rushing yards. Indiana returns just 56 percent of its production, tied for 51st nationally, so voters weighed the title against the roster turnover.
Who is No. 1 in the 2026 preseason AP poll?
Ohio State is No. 1 with 40 of 62 first-place votes, followed by Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas and Indiana. The SEC placed nine teams in the poll without receiving a single first-place vote.
Who did Indiana add in the transfer portal?
The Hoosiers signed the No. 8 portal class in the country, headlined by TCU quarterback Josh Hoover — who has more than 9,600 career passing yards and 31 starts — Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh, and defensive additions including Obiazor, Osunsanmi and Burnham.
When do the Hoosiers play Ohio State?
Indiana hosts Ohio State on October 17, 2026, in Bloomington, in what may decide the Big Ten and the No. 6 team's playoff fate.
How fast do jerseys ship from Pro Sports Kit?
In-stock jerseys ship within 1-3 business days, with standard delivery in 7-15 days and expedited delivery in 5-7 days, backed by 30-day free returns and exchanges.
Ballot submitted in August, defended at every barbecue since. Ask me again in January. — An AP Preseason Ballot
