Poll watch: Where IU landed in final, early top 25

The Outback Bowl loss may have pushed Indiana out of the top 10, but the Hoosiers still managed to put a memorable final stamp on their run in the Associated Press poll this season.

In the AP’s final 2020 top 25 published Tuesday, IU landed at No. 12 and extended its streak of poll appearances to a program-record 10 consecutive weeks. For the Hoosiers, this marks the first time since 1988 that they are ranked in the final Associated Press poll. It’s also their highest finish since appearing at No. 4 in the last poll of the 1967 season.

This is only the sixth time in school history that Indiana has closed the season ranked inside the AP’s top 25. Here’s how it compares to previous finishes:

• 2020: 12
• 1988: 20
• 1979: 19
• 1967: 4
• 1946: 20
• 1945: 4

IU had been ranked No. 7 in the AP poll entering the Jan. 2 Outback Bowl. The Hoosiers are one of four Big Ten teams to finish the season in the rankings, joining No. 2 Ohio State, No. 10 Northwestern and No. 16 Iowa.

Looking ahead...

It’s been 52 years since Indiana last appeared in the AP’s preseason poll. But with so many playmakers planning to return in 2021, that drought is on track to end.

Where will the Hoosiers ultimately land? Good question! Although we won’t know for sure until *crosses fingers* August, a couple media outlets offered a sneak peek on Tuesday.

In ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25, IU landed at No. 10 — one spot ahead of Cincinnati, which will travel to Bloomington in September, and two spots in front of Iowa, which is scheduled to host Indiana in next season’s opener. According to ESPN, “It seems as if Tom Allen is only getting started.”

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt also offered a glimpse at his top 10 teams for 2021, ranking Indiana seventh.

Here’s a look back at how the final AP Top 25 shook out, and also how ESPN expects the poll to look in seven months:

FINAL ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Texas A&M
5. Notre Dame
6. Oklahoma
7. Georgia
8. Cincinnati
9. Iowa State
10. Northwestern
11. BYU
12. Indiana
13. Florida
14. Coastal Carolina
15. Louisiana-Lafayette
16. Iowa
17. Liberty
18. North Carolina
19. Texas
20. Oklahoma State
21. USC
22. Miami
23. Ball State
24. San Jose State
25. Buffalo

ESPN WAY TOO EARLY TOP 25

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Georgia
5. Ohio State
6. Texas A&M
7. North Carolina
8. Iowa State
9. USC
10. Indiana
11. Cincinnati
12. Iowa
13. Oregon
14. Washington
15. Notre Dame
16. Florida
17. Wisconsin
18. Ole Miss
19. Louisiana-Lafayette
20. LSU
21. Texas
22. Penn State
23. Coastal Carolina
24. Liberty
25. Miami