Indiana Tops AP Top 25 Football Poll for First Time; Final Superlatives Revealed

Emerson Raymont

ago 2 hours

Indiana Tops AP Top 25 Football Poll for First Time; Final Superlatives Revealed

For the first time in history, Indiana University topped the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 college football poll. This significant accomplishment capstones an extraordinary season for the Hoosiers, who achieved a perfect 16-0 record, becoming the first team to do so in modern college football.

Historic Season for Indiana

Indiana clinched the No. 1 ranking after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff championship game. Previously, the Hoosiers had never placed higher than No. 4 in the final AP poll, with their best finishes occurring in 1945 and 1967.

Final AP Top 25 Rankings

The final Top 25 sees several notable teams, with the Miami Hurricanes landing at No. 2. They enjoyed their first top-10 finish since 2003. Below are the top five teams:

1: Indiana (16-0)
2: Miami (13-3)
3: Ole Miss (13-2)
4: Oregon (13-2)
5: Ohio State (12-2)

The Big Ten Conference was well represented, securing three spots in the top five with Indiana, Ohio State, and Michigan State, highlighting the conference’s strength this season.

Notable Rankings and Records

Georgia finished at No. 6, followed by Texas Tech at No. 7, marking their first top-10 finish. Texas A&M ranked eighth, with Alabama and Notre Dame finishing in ninth and tenth places, respectively. Notably, Notre Dame missed the College Football Playoff despite its top-10 finish.

Other Rankings Highlights

Beyond the top ten, several teams had impressive finishes: BYU at No. 11 and Texas at No. 12, which marked Texas’s lowest final ranking for a preseason No. 1. Oklahoma, after a disappointing playoff, ended the season at No. 13.

Trends and Insights

This season showcased unpredictable results. Noteworthy was Penn State, a preseason top-2 team, finishing unranked. Meanwhile, Clemson, which had a streak of 14 consecutive seasons ending in the rankings, also fell short this year.

Significant Developments in Final Rankings

Teams that ranked well included:

No. 15 Vanderbilt, achieving its highest finish since 1948.
No. 19 James Madison, finishing ranked for the first time.
No. 24 North Texas, also finishing ranked for the first time.

The final AP poll saw 8 Big Ten teams represented, while the SEC led all conferences with seven teams in the rankings. This season has set a new standard for Indiana and illustrated the changing dynamics of college football competitiveness.