Indiana comes in at No. 18 in AP poll: When was the last time Hoosiers were in top 20?

Six weeks into the college football season, Indiana football has made quite an amount of history.

That trend continued Sunday with the latest AP Top 25 poll.

Following their dominant 41-24 win at Northwestern on Saturday, the Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 in Big Ten) were rewarded by AP voters on Sunday with their highest ranking in the AP poll during a full season in over 30 years, with Indiana moving to No. 18.

REQUIRED READING: IU football vs. Northwestern grades: Hoosiers far from perfect, but their record still is

The Hoosiers’ No. 18 ranking in the AP poll, which they share with Kansas State and Oklahoma, is the highest Indiana has been ranked in the AP Top 25 poll (in a non-shortened season) since 1993. Indiana was ranked as high as No. 7 in the shortened COVID-19 season behind Michael Penix Jr., but only played Big Ten opponents. The Hoosiers also moved up in the US LBM Coaches Poll to No. 20.

Indiana continues to have one of the more surprising teams and storylines in college football this season under first-year coach Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers became the first Big Ten team and the second team in college football to become bowl-eligible on Saturday, with the other being No. 8 Miami.

The Hoosiers are projected to win five of their final six games by ESPN Analytics, with the lone loss coming to No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 23. The upcoming stretch for Indiana includes vs. Nebraska, vs. Washington, at Michigan State, vs Michigan, at Ohio State and vs. Purdue.

Here’s how the Hoosiers’ sixth consecutive win was reflected in the Coaches Poll and AP poll:

Indiana football rankings after Northwestern win

Indiana moved up in both polls on Sunday after their Week 6 road win against Northwestern. The Hoosiers are ranked No. 20 in the Coaches Poll and in a three-way tie for No. 18 in the AP Top 25 poll with Kansas State and Oklahoma.

As aforementioned, the Hoosier’s No. 18 ranking in the AP poll is the highest Indiana has come in the AP poll in a non-shortened season since 1993. Additionally, it is the first time that Indiana has been ranked in the AP poll in two consecutive weeks in a non-shortened season since 1993 — when the Hoosiers were ranked for seven consecutive weeks.

Indiana was ranked No. 17 in 2021 preseason polls, but a 34-6 loss to Iowa in Week 1 quickly unseated the Hoosiers. When they broke into the top 25 last week, the Hoosiers earned an AP ranking for the first time since that loss.

College football top 25 after Week 6

First place votes in parentheses

1. Texas (44)

2. Ohio State (11)

3. Oregon

4. Georgia

5. Penn State

6. Miami

7. Alabama

8. Ole Miss

9. Tennessee

10. LSU

11. Clemson

12. Notre Dame

13. Iowa State

14. Texas A&M

15. BYU

16. Oklahoma

17. Utah

18. Missouri

19. Kansas State

20. Indiana

21. Michigan

22. Boise State

23. Illinois

24. Pittsburgh

25. SMU

Others receiving votes: USC 102; Nebraska 68; Army West Point 36; Navy 26; Colorado 16; Kentucky 12; Arizona 12; UNLV 11; Texas Tech 8; Virginia 7; Washington 5; Liberty 5; Vanderbilt 4; Rutgers 3; Arkansas 3; Tulane 2; Louisville 2; Iowa 2; Syracuse 1; Arizona State 1

AP Top 25

First place votes in parentheses

• 1. Texas (52)

• 2. Ohio State (9)

• 3. Oregon

• 4. Penn State

• 5. Georgia

• 6. Miami

• 7. Alabama

• 8. Tennessee

• 9. Ole Miss

• 10. Clemson

• T-11. Iowa State

• T-11. Notre Dame

• 13. LSU

• 14. BYU

• 15. Texas A&M

• 16. Utah

• 17. Boise State

• T-18. Kansas State

• T-18. Indiana

• T-18. Oklahoma

• 21. Missouri

• 22. Pitt

• 23. Illinois

• 24. Michigan

• 25. SMU

Others receiving votes: USC 98; Nebraska 51; Navy 43; Army 33; Vanderbilt 26; Arkansas 17; Washington State 8; Iowa 8; Texas Tech 7; Syracuse 6; Washington 4; Louisville 4; Colorado 3; Kentucky 1

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: When is the last time Indiana football ranked in AP Poll top 20?