Editor’s note: Athletics 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.

Indiana is no longer just a fun college football story. That is, Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers you are not a courageous upstart. This is the real deal. It’s a machine. And it’s time to realize that they are a real threat to make the College Football Playoff.

After beating Washington and becoming the first FBS team in 26 years to start 8-0 without ever trailing, Indiana is ranked No. 9 in this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.

It’s truly crazy that a program that went 3-9 last season was favored to beat, then beat last year’s national runner-up, and is likely to be favored against last year’s national champion, Michigan, in a few weeks. . The school record for wins is nine, and it would take a complete collapse for the Hoosiers to not at least tie that record.

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Without a talented quarterback Kurtis Rourkethe Hoosiers turned to the ground and retreated Justice Ellison had 123 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries against the Huskies. Winning in a different way is impressive, but it would help if Rourke returned sooner rather than later.

And for those ready to chime in: “Who did they play?” » — it’s true that the schedule wasn’t that difficult. But ESPN’s analytics, which rank Indiana’s strength of schedule 106th, also rank the Hoosiers’ record strength 10th, crediting them for how they have done while taking into account the strength of the ‘opponent. How you perform relative to your schedule is always important, and once again, Indiana hasn’t fallen behind for a second all season.

It’s been a dream season in Bloomington, and with a remaining schedule that ranks 17th in the country, opportunities for more notable victories present themselves, including against Ohio State.

Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.

1-10

The only changes here come at the bottom of the group, where Indiana moved to No. 9 and Notre Dame returned to the top 10 after a 51-14 victory over a ranked country Navy. That, coupled with the fact that Texas A&M hasn’t lost since its Week 1 loss to the Irish, means Notre Dame is squarely back in the CFP picture. Many people wrote off the Irish after their loss to Northern Illinois, but welcome to the era of the 12-team CFP, where schools can re-enter the mix.

Expect another top-five shakeup after Ohio State visits Penn State this week. And besides, BYU has two wins against 7-1 teams this season. THE Cougars still don’t get enough respect in the polls.

GO DEEPER

Mandel’s Final Thoughts: QB Decisions Loom for Top 10 Teams in Week 10

11-25

Texas A&M rises to 11th after its 38-23 victory against LSU. THE Aggies are the only team still undefeated in SEC play. Clemson And Iowa State both fell in slow motion, but that was simply because Notre Dame and Texas A&M now have much better wins after the weekend.

Pitt is ranked 17th after a 41-13 win over Syracuse. I wanted to make the Panthers improve more, but the teams in front of them also won. Their trip to SMU this Saturday is their first chance at a major victory. Welcome to the top 25, Colorado. The Buffs are now 6-2 after beating Cincinnati. They’ve just been a really solid team this season, with less people paying attention.

Either way, Missouri remains in the top 25 at 23rd despite a 37-0 loss to Alabama. I didn’t expect to keep the Tigers here, but many teams right behind them in last week’s standings also lost, and Mizzou still has the win against Vanderbilt hang your hat (yes, that’s a real phrase). Arkansas also enters the top 25 after a resounding victory against Mississippi State and the losses of a group of teams to the Razorbacks. It also helps that two of Arkansas’ three losses came against top 20 teams, and they had a win against Tennessee.

GO DEEPER

AP Top 25: Penn State and OSU poised for top 5; Colorado is moving in

26-50

Navy only slipped to No. 27 after its loss to Notre Dame, largely due to the win against No. 28. Memphis. Army remains outside the top 25 as it has yet to earn a win against an FBS team with a winning record. THE Black Knights only “abandoned” because Colorado and Arkansas advanced. As I always say, don’t overreact to a crash in slow motion. That’s pretty much what the other teams did.

Tulane moves up to 34th after a win at North Texas. Nebraska drops just one spot to 38th after pushing Ohio State to the limit; the Huskers’ win over Colorado continues to get better. Minnesota moves up to 41st after a dominant 48-23 win over Maryland.

TCU is back in the top 50 at 44th after a comeback victory against Texas Technology. Cincinnati falls to 46th due to its loss to Colorado and the loss to Texas Tech, which weighs on the Bearcats due to their head-to-head result.

GO DEEPER

College Football Playoff Lessons from Week 9: Ohio State walks the tightrope, new SEC leader

51-75

A week after Maryland’s defeat U.S.C.both stand still here after Terps lose to Minnesota and Trojans win Rutgers. This is an example where the previous week’s results still have a lot of influence for two 4-4 teams. North Carolina got back on track with a 41-14 victory over Virginia to move on to #53. Cal’s 44-7 win over Oregon State move it Golden Bear up to #60 and a slow motion NC State up to #59 because the Wolfpack beat Cal a week ago.

Auburn went from No. 81 to No. 61 after beating Kentuckywhich continues to tumble to No. 62. Utah also continues to slide, now ranked 68th after a loss to Houston and on a decline that appears likely to continue with injuries to the Utes’ quarterback. But their victories against Baylor And Oklahoma State prevent them from falling further. Baylor’s win over Oklahoma State moves the Bears to 69th and Oklahoma State to 71st. Old Dominion hammered South Georgia 47-19 to blow the Sun Belt East wide open and move to No. 73, while Liberty’s shocking loss to previously winless Kennesaw State dropped the Flames at No. 75, all but ending their College Football Playoff hopes.

GO DEEPER

College Football Playoff Lessons from Week 9: Ohio State walks the tightrope, new SEC leader

76-100

UCFon a five-game losing streak, is ranked 76th. Kansas stays at No. 84 after Kansas State needed a late 51-yard field goal to beat the Jayhawks. Western Michigan is at No. 86 and atop the MAC as the only undefeated team in league play, but No. 87 Miami (Ohio), No. 88 Ohio and No. 89 Bowling green aren’t far behind, especially after the Falcons’ loss Toledo 41-26 and Ohio defeated Buffalo. The MAC is all jumbled up, and that’s reflected here in the rankings, especially after Notre Dame-slayer Northern Illinois lost for Ball Condition falling to #93.

I can’t believe I had to type “1-7” to State of FloridaIt’s a record here. The No. 99 Seminoles continue to sit with No. 98 Mississippi State and No. 100. Purdue like the worst Power 4 teams.

101-134

Would you believe the number 100 State of Colorado is actually undefeated in Mountain West play and has a pretty clear path to the conference championship game? Because the Rams do it. USF slips to No. 102 because the Bulls were inactive and several teams below them had notable wins. Ball State’s win over NIU puts the Cardinals at 107th. UTSA falls to No. 112 after blowing a 35-7 halftime lead in a loss to No. 111 Tulsa. Nevada is also in that group at 117th after a loss to Hawaii. Akron beat Eastern Michigan to move to n°125.

Congratulations to Kennesaw State on its first win as an FBS program and against an FBS program, as the Owls Stunned freedom. That puts Kennesaw State at No. 127 and leaves it at No. 134 Kent State as the last FBS team without a win.

The Athletic 134 Series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains complete editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review articles before publication.

(Photo: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)