On Tuesday, the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll was dropped on the college football world. Not everyone was impressed with the way the poll unfolded, though.
Not USA Today's Blake Toppmeyer, at least. Toppmeyer believes the Indiana Hoosiers were severely underrated at No. 6 in the poll, behind the Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas Longhorns, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Toppmeyer also believes that Ohio State is among the programs this would never happen to.
"Indiana got hosed. Imagine the Hoosiers as defending national champions, with this stacked defense they return, and now stitch Ohio State or Alabama or Oklahoma or some other blue-blooded name across the front of the jerseys. Where would they be ranked? Higher than sixth, I’ll tell you that," Toppmeyer said.
Perhaps Toppmeyer isn't wrong. Well, about the part where the Buckeyes would never be disrespected like this. The Scarlet and Gray have been revered throughout the modern era for consistent dominance. Picking them to be near or at the top yet again is hardly going out on a limb.
Getting caught falling for Curt Cignetti's squad's hype after losing so many key pieces could make a pollster look foolish, though.
Does Indiana have enough continuity and portal help to be a factor still?
IU lost star CB D'Angelo Ponds and LB Aiden Fisher to the 2026 NFL draft, plus defensive end Mikail Kamara and safety Louis Moorre. Of course, Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is no longer leading the charge on the other end either, and several of his weapons went with him to the pros.
Does Cignetti legitimately have enough coming back to justify the elite ranking? More of his James Madison Dukes holdovers have aged out of the game. He's replacing so much, though not from a coaching personnel standpoint. Maybe the coordinator continuity should've gotten more respect.
If TCU Horned Frogs transfer quarterback Josh Hoover meets the hype and the Hoosiers defense has enough culture continuity to sustain, sure, this team will have been disrespected in the coaches poll. Let's not forget, though, that the Texas Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the preseason, the Penn State Nittany Lions were ranked No. 2, the Clemson Tigers were ranked No. 4, and two of those teams ended up in the Pinstripes Bowl last year.
These polls often miss the mark.
Indiana may be about to learn why Ohio State gets yearly poll love
Indiana not only lost a lot of pieces, but the Hoosiers didn't replace them with a portal class better than No. 8 this past January. There haven't been consistent years of high school recruiting dominance in Bloomington. Yes, Cignetti does more with less, but his formula doesn't have enough staying power yet to justify a higher ranking.
OSU doesn't even really dip into the portal and finished ahead of IU this past cycle. The Buckeyes do have years of recruiting dominance under their belts with Ryan Day at the helm. Ohio State has many more signs of stability than the Hoosiers.
Indiana's fanbase may soon learn that sometimes, the polls get it right when it comes to reading the tea leaves and ranking accordingly.
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