Is Indiana deserving of top 5 ranking?

Are the Indiana Hoosiers for real and deserving of their ranking? That’s a question college football fans are asking now that Curt Cignetti’s team has earned a No. 5 rank from the Associated Press, jumping three spots from the previous week. 

After beating Michigan 20-15, Indiana is enjoying a perfect 10-0 (7-0, Big Ten) record. Indiana, a school known for its basketball history, is in position to pursue a football national title. 

But other than the confusion about seeing the Hoosiers among the best on the gridiron, there are some real reasons why people are wondering if their record is causing them to be overrated. 

Unlike in the NFL, a team’s record has never been enough on its own to earn a program respect in college football. It’s just not possible for all the best teams to play each other in or outside of a conference. Because schedules are unbalanced, it’s important to look at who a team plays, and most importantly beats, when trying to evaluate or rank anyone. 

To this point, the Hoosiers have managed to take advantage of a lighter schedule. Indiana has 10 wins without having faced another ranked team all season. Normally, a win over Michigan would be a big deal, but the defending national champions are a shell of their 2024 selves and hold an average 5-5 record. 

Indiana also has a win over the program the Wolverines beat in last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game – Washington. However, much like Michigan, the Huskies are enduring a rebuilding year and are also 5-5.  

In fact, Indiana holds only one victory over a team with a winning record. That school, Nebraska, is only 5-4 and barely over .500. 

Does Indiana deserve credit for simply taking care of business and winning? Absolutely. We’ve seen how difficult that actually is throughout the season. 

Is it incredibly impressive that Cignetti has put a program that’s usually an afterthought on the national map? Of course.    

The 2024 season is already assured to go down as a special one for a program that owns a pedestrian 3-10 all-time bowl record and two conference titles (1945, 1967) in an overall history that spans 137 years. 

However, when looking at their body of work to date in comparison to other top teams, it’s fair to wonder if they have been tested enough to deserve their ranking. 

Fortunately for college football fans and, most importantly, the College Football Playoff committee, we will find out just how good the Hoosiers are before the end of the regular season. Actually, we will get that answer in two weeks when Indiana travels to Columbus to battle the Ohio State Buckeyes.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, Indiana will finally be put to the ultimate test against the current No. 2 Buckeyes in a tough road environment. 

Cignetti will have a bye week ahead of that matchup as he prepares his team to prove it belongs among the sport’s elite this season.