Kirk Herbstreit speaks on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Where ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit Ranks Indiana Might Surprise You

Originally posted on Indiana Hoosiers on SI
By Jackson Langendorf | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 3:25 AM ET

After earning a College Football Playoff berth in 2024, few knew what to expect of Indiana in Year 2 of the Curt Cignetti era.

Would the Hoosiers fall back down to earth? Could they even stick around in the middle of the Big Ten? Or would they actually compete for a second-straight trip to the CFP?

Well, the answer, at least through six games, has been none of the above. Sitting at 6-0, with two top-ten wins to its name, Indiana isn’t even competing for a CFP spot at this point. Cignetti’s troops have essentially already locked one up.

Ranked No. 3 in the country, Indiana is a bona fide national title contender. And, in the mind of one well-respected college football analyst, Indiana is the best team in the country.

Kirk Herbstreit ranks Indiana No. 1

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who just so happens to be an Ohio State alum, stated that he has the Hoosiers as the nation’s best squad following their Week 7 win over Oregon.

“I don’t think there’s a bigger win than what Indiana did, going to Oregon, and playing the way they did… They deserve all the credit in the world. In fact, this week I have them at No. 1 in the country, just slightly ahead of Ohio State, just because of what they did against Illinois and against Oregon,” said Herbstreit on the Dan Patrick Show.

"They (Indiana) deserve all the credit in the world. In fact, this week I have them at #1 in the country, just slightly ahead of Ohio State, just because of what they did against Illinois and against Oregon."

– @KirkHerbstreit with high praise for #Indiana. pic.twitter.com/P5NcL3tmwG
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 14, 2025

Coming from one of the top minds in college football, not to mention an alum of the school currently ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, Herbstreit's words are a true sign of just how far Indiana has come.

And with a generous slate ahead, it’s safe to say the Hoosiers very well may play themselves into that No. 1 ranking by season’s end.

Although an early November matchup with Penn State at Beaver Stadium may now fall firmly into the “trap game” category, there isn’t another game on the Hoosiers schedule that they won’t be heavily favored in.

At the very least, even if Indiana slips up and drops a contest down the stretch, the Hoosiers would still be a College Football Playoff shoo-in. Ideally, though, Cignetti’s club rattles off six more wins, giving itself a first-round bye and earning home-field advantage.

First up: Michigan State – a squad that has lost three straight Big Ten games by double-digits. The Hoosiers welcome the Spartans to Memorial Stadium this Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, Peacock).

This article first appeared on Indiana Hoosiers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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