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Indiana in its 1000 consecutive year did not make the pre-season top 25, but 5 Big Ten teams did. Northwestern, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio State are all thought to be threats to make some noise this season. Michigan State also gets honorable mentions for receiving a few votes.
| RANK ▾ | TEAM | 2012 RECORD | POINTS | PREVIOUS RANK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (58) | 13-1 | 1545 | 1 | |
| 2 | Ohio St. (3) | 12-0 | 1427 | NR | |
| 3 | Oregon | 12-1 | 1397 | 2 | |
| 4 | Stanford | 12-2 | 1262 | 6 | |
| 5 | Georgia | 12-2 | 1250 | 4 | |
| 6 | Texas A&M (1) | 11-2 | 1215 | 5 | |
| 7 | South Carolina | 11-2 | 1136 | 7 | |
| 8 | Clemson | 11-2 | 1047 | 9 | |
| 9 | Louisville | 11-2 | 1010 | 13 | |
| 10 | Florida | 11-2 | 930 | 10 | |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 12-1 | 872 | 3 | |
| 12 | Florida St. | 12-2 | 844 | 8 | |
| 13 | LSU | 10-3 | 797 | 12 | |
| 14 | Oklahoma St. | 8-5 | 726 | NR | |
| 15 | Texas | 9-4 | 622 | 18 | |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 10-3 | 620 | 15 | |
| 17 | Michigan | 8-5 | 589 | NR | |
| 18 | Nebraska | 10-4 | 426 | 23 | |
| 19 | Boise St. | 11-2 | 420 | 14 | |
| 20 | TCU | 7-6 | 400 | NR | |
| 21 | UCLA | 9-5 | 202 | NR | |
| 22 | Northwestern | 10-3 | 186 | 16 | |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 8-0 | 172 | NR | |
| 24 | USC | 7-6 | 165 | NR | |
| 25 | Oregon St. | 9-4 | 135 | 19 | |
| Schools Dropped Out | |||||
| No. 11 Kansas State (11-2), No. 17 Utah State (11-2), No. 20 Vanderbilt (9-4), No. 21 San Jose State (11-2), No. 22 Cincinnati (10-3), No. 24 Northern Illinois (12-2), No. 25 Tulsa (11-3). | |||||
| Others Receiving Votes | |||||
| Kansas State (11-2) 113; Miami (Fla.) 101; Michigan State 89; Baylor 80; Virginia Tech 65; Fresno State 62; Arizona State 51; Mississippi 32; Vanderbilt (9-4) 29; Utah State (11-2) 23; Brigham Young 20; North Carolina 19; Northern Illinois (12-2) 19; Tulsa (11-3) 9; Ohio 8; San Jose State (11-2) 8; Arizona 5; Cincinnati (10-3) 3; East Carolina 3; Kent State 3; Mississippi State 3; Washington 3; Central Florida 2; Arkansas 1; Arkansas State 1; Rutgers 1; Tennessee 1; Toledo 1. | |||||
The bright side of this is that the Hoosiers only have to play 4 of these teams this year. Taking on Ohio State in Columbus seems like a nightmare scenario, but even better, Indiana doesn't get any of the top 25 nominees and recipients at home. Luckily the other 8 home games are in reach. For more on the AP Top 25 poll check out the mother ship at SBNation.com or you can click this handy little link here.