After each win this season, Ball State University football coach Brady Hoke has downplayed the importance of his program earning its first national ranking.
That milestone was reached Sunday when the Cardinals received 97 votes to jump to No. 25 in The Associated Press Poll. Hoke called the ranking flattering, but his tone didn't change in regards to its significance.
"It never even entered my mind," Hoke said of being ranked this week. "We're just trying to be a team that cares about each other, plays hard and leans on each other when we have to. [We want] to be successful and win this conference."
Following a 31-0 victory at the University of Toledo on Saturday, Ball State received one more vote than University of Wisconsin when the poll was released Sunday. The Cardinals are also ranked ahead of such teams as the University of Notre Dame, Florida State University and the University of Illinois, which played in the Rose Bowl last season.
The Cardinals have the fourth-highest rank among the nation's mid-major programs, behind No. 9 Brigham Young University, No. 14 University of Utah and No. 15 Boise State University. Ball State leaped in front of Western Athletic Conference member Fresno State University after the Bulldogs lost 32-29 in overtime to the University of Hawai'i on Saturday.
"I think it really speaks on our guys playing as a team right now," Hoke said. "They've been preparing very well every week, and we've been fortunate enough to be on the right side of the win-loss column."
J.P. Giglio, who covers the Atlantic Coast Conference for the News and Observer, was the first AP voter to vote for Ball State this season. Giglio was the only person to vote the Cardinals into the top 25 three weeks ago, and he ranked them No. 19 this week.
"It's a question of do you vote for two-loss Wisconsin or unbeaten Ball State," Giglio said. "People try to reward teams for being undefeated."
Hoke hadn't met with his players when he talked with media members during a 4:15 p.m. conference call Sunday. He said his primary goal was to keep his players focused on Saturday's opponent, Western Kentucky University.
"This is a long football season, and we've got six more football games to play," Hoke said. "We've got a lot of work to do, and we've got the real teeth of our schedule starting this week."
Weekend milestones
- First national ranking
- Best start to season since 1965
- Best start to the MAC since 1993
- Back to back six-win seasons for the first time since 1995-96
- Bowl eligible
- First shutout since 2000
All-time rankingsThe football team became the seventh Ball State sport to be nationally ranked. Below are the highest rankings for the seven teams.
No. 5 Men's volleyball: 1995, 1987No. 6 Field hockey: 1992No. 15 Men's basketball: 2001No. 20 Men's tennis: 1990No. 25 Football: 2008No. 66 Women's tennis: 2002No. 98 Women's golf: 2008
AP PollThe Associated Press Poll has 65 voters, who each release a weekly top 25 poll. These polls are combined to form the AP Poll. A first-place vote is worth 25 points, while a 25th-place vote is worth one point.
1. Oklahoma2. Alabama 3. Missouri4. LSU5. Texas6. Penn State7. Texas Tech8. USC9. BYU10. Georgia11. Florida12. Ohio State13. Vanderbilt14. Utah15. Boise State16. Kansas17. Oklahoma St.18. Virginia Tech19. S. Florida20. Auburn21. Wake Forest22. N. Carolina23. Michigan St.24. Pittsburgh25. Ball State
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