Indiana football projected to finish third in Big Ten by two media polls

Indiana football projected to finish third in Big Ten by two media polls

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Indiana football projected to finish third in Big Ten by two media polls
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 06: Head Football Coach Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrates with his team after winning the Big Ten Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indiana Hoosiers won the game 13-10. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

If you’ve been around the Big Ten enough, you know the drill.

There’s no official preseason media poll for football, men’s basketball or women’s basketball. As a result, the media publishes unofficial polls to fill in the gap. Here’s what you need to know about where said polls slot Indiana ahead of the 2026 college football season.

The Hoosiers were picked to finish third in the Big Ten by both USA TODAY and cleveland.com’s media polls. Both polls picked Ohio State to win the conference and Oregon to finish second, with Indiana receiving five first place votes in cleveland.com’s poll. The Buckeyes are vying for their first Big Ten Championship since head coach Ryan Day’s second season in 2020.

The 2025 cleveland.com preseason media poll finished with a tie between Penn State and Oregon atop the Big Ten standings while Indiana was picked to finish sixth, earning no first place votes.

Expect more headlines around the conference to emerge this week with Big Ten Media Days set to begin in Chicago.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos