Honestly, if you told a college football fan three years ago that the Indiana Hoosiers would be sitting at the mountaintop of the AP Top Twenty football rankings heading into a national title game, they’d probably ask if you were talking about basketball. But here we are in January 2026, and the "powerhouse" label has officially migrated to Bloomington.
It's weird.
The Associated Press poll has always been the gold standard for measuring who’s actually good versus who just has a big brand. This season, that distinction became a massive point of contention. We saw perennial giants like Ohio State and Georgia stumble in the quarterfinals, while the AP voters had to grapple with a top-heavy Big Ten and a Miami team that basically rose from the dead.
The AP Top Twenty Football Shakeup: How Indiana Stunned the Polls
Indiana didn't just climb the rankings; they occupied them. Curt Cignetti has done something in Bloomington that feels like a fever dream. The Hoosiers finished the regular season 13-0, including a win over Ohio State that broke the internet—or at least the sports corner of it. By the time the postseason rankings solidified, Indiana held 66 first-place votes. That's nearly unanimous.
What most people get wrong about this Indiana run is thinking it was a fluke of a soft schedule.
👉 See also: Ja Morant Height: Why the NBA Star Looks Bigger Than He Actually Is
It wasn't.
They took down Oregon in Eugene. They walked into Happy Valley and beat Penn State. Fernando Mendoza, their Heisman-winning quarterback, turned the AP Top Twenty football list into his personal resume. When they thrashed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal, the voters basically stopped asking questions. They were the undisputed No. 1.
Why the Top Ten Looks Nothing Like We Predicted
If you look at the AP poll from mid-October, Miami was hanging around No. 2, but then they took that weird loss to Louisville. Everyone wrote them off. "Typical Miami," the pundits said. But the AP Top Twenty football rankings are a living breathing thing, and the Hurricanes clawed back.
They entered the playoffs as the No. 10 seed, yet the AP voters kept them high in the "also receiving votes" or the fringe top ten because the metrics loved them. Mario Cristobal’s squad eventually validated those voters by knocking off No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. It was a 24-14 defensive masterclass that proved the AP poll sometimes sees the "it" factor before the playoff committee does.
✨ Don't miss: Hulk Hogan Lifting Andre the Giant: What Really Happened at WrestleMania III
Then you have the SEC drama. Ole Miss at No. 6? Texas A&M at No. 7? The conference was cannibalizing itself.
- Indiana (15-0) - The immovable object.
- Georgia (12-2) - High ranking, but the loss to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl hurt their "undisputed" claim.
- Ohio State (12-2) - Still top three in the AP because their roster is a video game, despite the Miami upset.
- Texas Tech (12-2) - The surprise of the Big 12, peaking at No. 4.
- Oregon (13-2) - Solid, but Indiana has their number this year.
The fact that Texas Tech stayed in the top five for so long is a testament to how much the AP voters valued consistency this year. While the SEC teams were busy beating each other into a pulp, the Red Raiders just kept winning. Until they hit the Oregon wall in the Orange Bowl, that is.
The "Brand" Bias vs. Reality in the Polls
There is always a segment of the AP Top Twenty football voters who refuse to let go of the past. You see it every year. Alabama fell to No. 11 after the Vanderbilt loss and the home stumble against Texas, but some voters still had them top five based on "talent."
The data tells a different story.
🔗 Read more: Formula One Points Table Explained: Why the Math Matters More Than the Racing
Miami leads the nation in sacks (47). Indiana is right behind them with 45. These aren't just "lucky" teams; they are fundamentally breaking the blue-bloods. The AP poll has had to adjust to a world where the transfer portal makes a "quick fix" actually possible. Indiana's roster is a patchwork of transfers that plays like they’ve been together for a decade.
The James Madison and Tulane Factor
We have to talk about the Group of Five representation. James Madison (No. 19) and Tulane (No. 17) managed to stay relevant in the AP Top Twenty football conversation all the way through December.
James Madison actually caused a minor crisis in the ACC. Because the Sun Belt champion Dukes were ranked No. 24 in the CFP but stayed higher in the AP's eyes, they snagged an automatic bid over an unranked, five-loss Duke team that actually won the ACC. It’s messy. It’s college football.
What to Watch Moving Forward
The final AP poll comes out after the National Championship on January 19. If Indiana wins, they’ll be the first-ever 16-0 team in the modern era. If Miami pulls the upset, we are going to have a very heated debate about whether a "second-place" ACC team deserves the No. 1 spot over a dominant Indiana.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Track the "Others Receiving Votes": Watch teams like Houston and Iowa. They finished just outside the top twenty but are returning most of their starters for 2026.
- Watch the Coaching Carousel: Lane Kiffin at LSU is already being projected as a top-five preseason coach for the next cycle.
- Audit the Transfer Portal: The teams that dominated the AP poll this year (Indiana, Miami) were the ones who "won" the portal last January. Keep an eye on who’s moving where this month.
The landscape has changed. The AP Top Twenty football rankings aren't just a list of the most famous schools anymore. They are a reflection of who is actually executing in the NIL era. Whether you love the Hoosiers or hate the "U," you've got to admit—the polls have never been this unpredictable.