Indiana at No. 6: what the AP preseason Top 25 really means

Indiana’s No. 6 ranking in the AP preseason Top 25 is a reminder that preseason polls are not trophies — they are snapshots of expectation. The Hoosiers are still the defending national champions, while Ohio State and Oregon open at Nos. 1 and 2.Why Indiana’s eight first-place votes matterHow the AP poll separates belief from final rankingWhat Ohio State and Oregon’s top-two start says in AugustWhy preseason ballots are a map, not a forecast