In a stunning culmination to the regular season, the Indiana Hoosiers have ascended to the summit of college football, claiming the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in the programme's history.
A Historic Rise to the Top
The Hoosiers' remarkable journey was sealed with a nail-biting 13-10 victory over the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis on Saturday night. This win capped a perfect 13-0 regular season and decisively ended Ohio State's 14-week stranglehold on the top ranking.
Indiana's achievement is all the more extraordinary given its past. Before the arrival of head coach Curt Cignetti two years ago, the programme held the unenviable record for the most losses in major college football history. Their previous highest ranking was No. 2, a position they held for seven consecutive weeks before finally breaking through.
Shake-Up at the Summit
The final poll before the College Football Playoff selection saw significant movement at the top. Georgia surged to No. 2, its highest ranking this season, after a commanding three-touchdown win over Alabama in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) title game. Ohio State consequently slipped two places to No. 3.
Texas Tech also reached a season-high, climbing one spot to No. 4 following a 27-point demolition of BYU for the Big 12 championship. The top five was completed by Oregon at No. 5.
Further down the rankings, Miami returned to the top ten for the first time since mid-October, moving up two places to No. 10. Meanwhile, Alabama and BYU each fell one spot to Nos. 11 and 12 respectively.
Notable Movers and Conference Strength
Among the Group of Five conferences, American Conference champion Tulane made a significant jump, rising four places to No. 17 for its best ranking in two years. Sun Belt Conference champion James Madison held steady at No. 19.
The conference breakdown underscores the continued dominance of the SEC, which leads all leagues with eight ranked teams. The Big Ten follows with five, including the new No. 1. The full conference tally is as follows:
- SEC (8): Nos. 2 Georgia, 6 Mississippi, 7 Texas A&M, 8 Oklahoma, 11 Alabama, 13 Vanderbilt, 14 Texas, 25 Missouri.
- Big Ten (5): Nos. 1 Indiana, 3 Ohio State, 5 Oregon, 16 Southern California, 18 Michigan.
- Big 12 (4): Nos. 4 Texas Tech, 12 BYU, 15 Utah, 20 Arizona.
- ACC (3): Nos. 10 Miami, 21 Virginia, 24 Georgia Tech.
- American (3): Nos. 17 Tulane, 22 Navy, 23 North Texas.
- Independent (1): No. 9 Notre Dame.
- Sun Belt (1): No. 19 James Madison.
The most notable fall came for Virginia, which tumbled from No. 16 to No. 20 after an overtime loss to Duke in the ACC championship game.
Looking Ahead to the Playoff
This historic poll sets the stage for the 12-team College Football Playoff, where Indiana is poised to secure the coveted top seed for its second consecutive appearance. The final AP Top 25 of the season will be released on 20 January, the day after the national championship game is decided.
For now, the Hoosiers stand alone at the pinnacle, a unanimous No. 1 and a testament to one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the sport's recent history.
