This isn’t your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it’s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they’re good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Indiana lands in my Ultimate 136
Indiana ranking: 11
Last year’s ranking: 97
Top player: WR Elijah Sarratt: One of six Big Ten players to eclipse 900-plus receiving yards last season; also had 18 receptions of 20-plus yards, tied for the second-most in the Big Ten.
RJ’s take: Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers rewrote the school record book with the program’s first 10-win and 11-win season, an appearance in the College Football Playoff and just two losses — both to teams who played in the national title game (Ohio State and Notre Dame). He’s looking to run it back this year with former California QB Fernando Mendoza, who led the Golden Bears to consecutive bowl game appearances and threw for over 3,000 yards last season.
Indiana returns 16 starters from that 11-win team, and if Mendoza can be as good as Kurtis Rourke was, the Hoosiers might deliver another special season. This team went undefeated last year when they ran for 122 or more yards in a game, which means former Maryland star RB Roman Hemby should enjoy playing in an offense that starts fast and feasts on its run-game. Indiana outscored opponents 108-20 in the first quarter in 2024.
Let’s not forget how good Cignetti has been at developing players, as well as acquiring them in the portal. Junior defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker began his career at JMU and was responsible for 29 tackles with five tackles for loss as a freshman. Last year at Indiana, Tucker had 24 tackles, including five for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Like Oregon, Indiana ought to fall forward and get to 10 wins. The only teams on the Hoosiers’ schedule ranked among my top 25 are Illinois, Penn State and Oregon.
Indiana Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+110) Under 8.5 (-134)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school’s rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I’ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.
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