IU football ranked No. 6 in preseason ESPN FPI for 2026

Photos of IU football vs. Illinois football at Memorial Stadium on September 20, 2025.

The preseason ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) rankings were released this week and defending national champion Indiana will begin the 2026 season in the top 10.

The Hoosiers are No. 6 with a 23.1 rating behind Ohio State, Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon and Georgia.

The FPI rating of 23.1 means the Hoosiers would be expected to be 23.1 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field.

Here’s how the FPI works, according to ESPN:

“The Football Power Index (FPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.”

According to the FPI, Indiana has a 9.5 percent chance of going unbeaten, a 99.4 percent chance of winning six or more games, an 18.7 percent chance of winning the Big Ten, a 57 percent chance of making the CFP, a 12.8 percent chance of making the CFP national championship and a 6.6 percent chance to win the CFP national championship.

The Hoosiers are projected at 10.1 wins.

IU’s projected strength of schedule is No. 33, which is behind Ohio State (No. 8), Michigan (No. 16), Northwestern (No. 17), USC (No. 19), Nebraska (No. 21), Purdue (No. 23), Washington (No. 25), Oregon (No. 26), Michigan State (No. 28) and Maryland (No. 31) among Big Ten programs.

Here’s where IU’s opponents are ranked in the preseason FPI:

North Texas – No. 90
Howard – FCS, not ranked
Western Kentucky – No. 86
Northwestern – No. 60
Rutgers – No. 67
Nebraska – No. 30
Ohio State – No. 1
Michigan – No. 15
Minnesota – No. 63
USC – No. 13
Washington – No. 26
Purdue – No. 71

Indiana is ranked No. 5 by Phil Steele, No. 5 by Lindy’s Sports and No. 5 by Athlon Sports in the preseason.

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