The USA Today Indiana Football preseason poll was unveiled Monday evening ahead of opening night of the 2025 IHSAA football season. It’s the second season for the statewide media poll composed of 16 sports writers and broadcasters serving communities across Indiana.
Top-ranked Brownsburg, the defending Class 6A state champions, begins its title reign ranked No. 49 nationally on the High School Football America Top 100 list. The Bulldogs are scheduled to host Archbishop Spalding (Md.), who enters the 2025 season ranked No. 35 nationally as the defending MIAA Class A champs, Friday at 7 p.m. at C.F. Roark Stadium. State runner-up Westfield received one first-place vote and boasts six senior standouts either committed to Division I football programs or holds offers. The second-ranked Shamrocks also cracked America’s top 100 list ranked nationally at No. 98. Center Grove comes in ranked third after making a semistate appearance last season. No. 4 Lawrence North and No. 5 Crown Point both lost just once to the eventual state finalists during the playoffs last fall. Crown Point represents The Region as the lone ranked 6A team located outside of Central Indiana.
Five other Indy-area schools round out the top 10 with Warren Central at No. 6, followed by Hoosier Crossroads Conference rivals Hamilton Southeastern ranked at No. 7 and Fishers at No. 8. Decatur Central claimed the Class 5A state title in 2024 and opens this season ranked at No. 9 after moving up to Indiana’s largest class due to the Rule 2-5 success factor. Tenth-ranked Ben Davis is just two years removed from winning its state-record 10th big-school state championship.
Class 6A
W-L Pts.
- Brownsburg (15) 0-0 158
- Westfield (1) 0-0 128
- Center Grove 0-0 124
- Lawrence North 0-0 114
- Crown Point 0-0 93
- Warren Central 0-0 65
- Hamilton Southeastern 0-0 60
- Fishers 0-0 42
- Decatur Central 0-0 33
- Ben Davis 0-0 17
others receiving votes: Fort Wayne Snider 6. Fort Wayne Carroll 6. Columbus North 4. Elkhart 3. Avon 3. Penn 1
Top-ranked New Palestine took home the Class 4A state title last November and moved up to Class 5A due to the success factor. The Dragons enter the 2025 campaign as the 5A preseason favorites after receiving 12 of the 16 first-place votes from the poll committee. Indianapolis-powerhouse Cathedral moved down a class from 6A to 5A this season and begins the season with a tough ranked matchup against 6A No. 10 Ben Davis at Butler University’s Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl.
Third-ranked Merrillville has dominated the region with five regional titles over the last six seasons, but the Pirates have fallen short on their last 10 tries to claim the northern semistate title. Bloomington South and East Central were the lone tie ranked at No. 4 after receiving 85 voting points each. Class 5A state runner-up Warsaw begins ranked No. 6 after a thrilling playoff run last season. No. 7 Lafayette Jefferson and No. 8 Concord aim to take the next step as potential contenders after both programs met the same fate by losing against Warsaw in the regional and sectional championship, respectively. No. 9 Plainfield and No. 10 Valparaiso close out the top 10.
Class 5A
W-L Pts.
- New Palestine (12) 0-0 156
- Cathedral (4) 0-0 128
- Merrillville 0-0 115
- (tie) Bloomington South 0-0 85
- (tie) East Central 0-0 85
- Warsaw 0-0 72
- Lafayette Jefferson 0-0 67
- Concord 0-0 53
- Plainfield 0-0 41
- Valparaiso 0-0 31
others receiving votes: Castle 16. Bloomington North 7. Whiteland 6. Floyd Central 4. Terre Haute South 1
The Class 4A preseason poll featured the closest race between top-ranked Bishop Chatard and No. 2 Heritage Hills, who were separated by a mere nine points. Heritage Hills hoisted the 3A title last season and advanced to 4A due to the success factor. Mishawaka received one first place vote after a semistate berth last season, which lifted the Cavemen to No. 3 over 2024 4A state runner-up East Noble.
Class 4A
W-L Pts. Prev.
- Bishop Chatard (10) 0-0 149
- Heritage Hills (5) 0-0 140
- Mishawaka (1) 0-0 111
- East Noble 0-0 110
- Martinsville 0-0 81
- Roncalli 0-0 76
- Evansville Reitz 0-0 64
- Greenfield-Central 0-0 46
- Fort Wayne Dwenger 0-0 30
- Danville 0-0 22
others receiving votes: Brebeuf 14. New Prairie 11. Leo 10. Columbia City 8. NorthWood 7. Greenwood 3. Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 2.
Evansville Memorial enters the season ranked No. 1 in 3A despite receiving just five first-place votes. Returning state runner-up Fort Wayne Bishop Luers begins the season ranked at No. 2, followed by third-ranked Gibson Southern, who received three first-place votes in the preseason poll.
Class 3A
W-L Pts.
- Evansville Memorial (5) 0-0 143
- Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (7) 0-0 129
- Gibson Southern (3) 0-0 116
- Lawrenceburg 0-0 86
- Mississinewa 0-0 70
- Evansville Mater Dei 0-0 57
- West Lafayette 0-0 49
- Garrett 0-0 44
- Cascade 0-0 43
- Maconaquah 0-0 39
others receiving votes: Knox 29. Tri-West 24. Guerin Catholic (1) 21. West Noble 10. Southridge 8. Batesville 7. North Harrison 2.
Reigning 2A state champions Adams Central tied 6A Brownsburg for the most first-place votes with 15 each and hosts 3A No. 8 Garrett in the season opener. Second-ranked Indianapolis Lutheran received one first-place vote after earning a semi-state appearance in the program’s first 2A campaign last season. Linton-Stockton is ranked No. 3 ahead of Brownstown Central following an epic 22-21 nailbiter in the regional championship. No. 5 Andrean begins the season with perhaps its toughest matchup of the season in “The Battle of Broadway” against rival 5A No. 3 Merrillville.
Class 2A
W-L Pts.
- Adams Central (15) 0-0 158
- Lutheran (1) 0-0 125
- Linton-Stockton 0-0 119
- Brownstown Central 0-0 98
- Andrean 0-0 95
- Lafayette Central Catholic 0-0 85
- Lapel 0-0 60
- Heritage Christian 0-0 28
- Triton Central 0-0 19
- Eastbrook 0-0 13
others receiving votes: Monrovia 12. Paoli 12. Western Boone 12. Bluffton 8. Alexandria 6. Eastern (Greentown) 5. Northeastern 5. Centerville 5. North Posey 3. South Vermillion 1.
Top-ranked Providence was the lone private school to emerge victorious inside Lucas Oil Stadium in 2024 and looks to defend its 1A state title. State runner-up North Judson comes in at No. 2, while third-ranked South Putnam received two first-place votes from the committee.
Class A
W-L Pts.
- Providence (14) 0-0 158
- North Judson 0-0 136
- South Putnam (2) 0-0 127
- North Decatur 0-0 85
- South Adams 0-0 75
- Carroll 0-0 65
- Milan 0-0 54
- Madison-Grant 0-0 51
- Springs Valley 0-0 47
- North Miami 0-0 32
others receiving votes: Pioneer 13. Frontier 11. Triton 7. LaVille 6. Sheridan 6. Knightstown 2. Riverton Parke 2. Forest Park 1. Tri 1.
*Bold represents defending state champion*