For longtime Husker fans, Indiana\u2019s 27-2 record and one national championship, while impressive, doesn\u2019t equal Nebraska\u2019s. What is impressive is that Indiana\u2019s amazing success was achieved in just the first two years of Cignetti\u2019s tenure at Indiana.<\/p>\n
So I got to thinking, how were Indiana and Miami, the two College Football Playoff finalists, ranked in last year\u2019s preseason polls? Did anybody list either of these teams in its top two? <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n
Following is a list of several leading preseason polls. The first numerical rankings are their top two teams before the season began and the second is how they ranked Indiana and Miami in the preseason.<\/p>\n
The last section is the AP\u2019s final poll.<\/p>\n
ESPN
Preseason top two:
1.) Texas
2.) Penn State <\/p>\n
How Indiana and Miami were ranked in the preseason: \u00a0
17.) Indiana
10.) Miami<\/p>\n
Lindy\u2019s
1.) Texas
2.) Georgia
31.) Indiana
10.) Miami<\/p>\n
Sporting News
1.) Texas
2.) Ohio State
25.) Indiana
10.) Miami<\/p>\n
So how did Phil Steele (the guru of college football) fare?
Phil Steele
1.) Penn State
2.) Clemson
20.) Indiana
10.) Miami<\/p>\n
What were the preseason rankings in the AP poll?<\/p>\n
The Associated Press
1.) Texas
2.) Ohio State
19.) Indiana
10.) Miami<\/p>\n
Based on those preseason rankings, no one came close to Indiana beating the Miami Hurricanes for the 2025 national championship.<\/p>\n
The final AP top 10 teams on Jan. 20, 2026:
1.) Indiana
2.) Miami
3.) Ole Miss
4.) Oregon
5.) Georgia
6.) Ohio State
7.) Texas Tech
8.) Texas A&M
9.) Alabama
10.) Notre Dame.<\/p>\n
In the case of getting it wrong about Indiana, no one (except maybe Curt Cignetti) could have predicted the kind of year Hoosier QB Fernando Mendoza was going to have. (Mendoza, a transfer from the University of California, would also finish the year hoisting the Heisman Trophy.)<\/p>\n
And who knew Indiana\u2019s defense would be good enough to get the Hoosiers to the pinnacle of the college football world in \u201925?<\/p>\n
The point here is not to bash the magazines for not getting things right, but to say how difficult it is to predict how college football teams will perform in any given year. The portal, NIL and revenue sharing have made it nearly impossible to get it right. <\/p>\n
But we\u2019ll continue to buy the mags anyway, won\u2019t we?<\/p>\n
Who knows? Someday, someone might get it right.<\/p>\n
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI<\/a>, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube<\/a> and visiting HuskerMax.com<\/a> daily.<\/p>\n
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