Indiana climbs to No. 4 in coaches poll after Nebraska win, sets up top-five Ohio State clash

Indiana moved up one spot to No. 4 in the US LBM Coaches Poll after its comeback win at Nebraska. The Hoosiers stayed in the top five of the AP Top 25 as well, which means Saturday's visit from Ohio State will be a top-five game in both polls.

The Indianapolis Star reported the new rankings on Sunday in a story by Michael Niziolek of The Herald-Times. Georgia is the new No. 1 in both polls after previously unbeaten Texas lost to Oklahoma. Notre Dame, Miami, Indiana and Ohio State fill out the top five in each poll, but the two ballots split on the order of the Big Ten's top two teams.

In the coaches poll, Indiana (6-0) is fourth with 1,633 points and nine first-place votes. That is the second-highest total of first-place votes, behind Georgia's 60. Ohio State (5-1) is right behind at No. 5 with 1,565 points and one first-place vote. The AP voters reversed the pair and put the Buckeyes fourth and the Hoosiers fifth. Both programs also have a hand in the coaches poll, since Curt Cignetti and Ryan Day sit on the 2026 voting panel.

Indiana came from behind to win in Lincoln, and The Herald-Times credited receiver Nick Marsh with fueling the rally. Ohio State won at home against Maryland the same day. Those results set up what Niziolek called "one of the most anticipated matchups in Indiana football history" when the Buckeyes come to Bloomington on Saturday.

Indiana is the higher-ranked team in the coaches poll and the host, but the market still has Ohio State ahead. On Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, the Buckeyes are favored at -170. Indiana is getting 3.5 points on the spread, and the total is 51.5. The best sportsbook price on Ohio State is -165 at Hard Rock Bet. Full numbers are on the Ohio State at Indiana odds page.

The stakes are clear. The winner will have the strongest résumé in the Big Ten at midseason, and the loser will need help to get back into the conference title race. Indiana is one of the few unbeaten teams left near the top of the poll. A home win over the Buckeyes would strengthen its case for the No. 1 spot that Georgia holds now.

Nebraska fell to 5-1 with the loss and dropped out of the coaches poll's Top 25. The Cornhuskers still got 74 points in the others-receiving-votes group, behind Northwestern and Arizona. Their next game is at Oregon, which has had its own slide. The Ducks are 3-2 and fell 12 spots to No. 25 in the coaches poll. Oregon is favored at -251 on Novig with a 6.5-point spread and a 52.5 total, and theScore Bet has the best sportsbook price on the Ducks at -230. That game's numbers are on the Nebraska at Oregon odds page.

Elsewhere in the conference, UCLA rose 10 spots to No. 12 in the coaches poll at 5-0. Iowa moved up two places to No. 16. USC climbed to No. 15.