The year’s first battle of ranked opponents between Big Ten opponents didn’t live up to the hype – at least not if you’re an Illinois fan.
The hype train surrounding Bret Bielema’s squad went flying off the tracks on Saturday night as 19th-ranked Indiana rolled to a 63-10 win over the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini in Bloomington.
In front of a record crowd of 56,088 fans at Memorial Stadium, Curt Cignetti’s stamped itself as a contender to make the College Football Playoff for a second straight year as it dominated in all phases of the game against the Illini. Fernando Mendoza completed 21 of 23 passing attempts for 267 yards and five touchdowns while the Hoosiers ran for more than 300 yards and another three scores. The Hoosiers’ defense racked up seven sacks and held Illinois to two rushing yards, while star cornerback D’Angelo Ponds blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.
Indiana’s 63 points were the most ever for a Big Ten team against a team ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25, breaking a record previously held by Ohio State, which has twice scored 62 points in games against AP top-10 teams.
Indiana's 63 points marked the most scored by a Big Ten team against an AP Top 10 opponent. Ohio State twice had scored 62, most recently in 2018 against No. 4 Michigan.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 21, 2025
Illinois had been a trendy pick to make the College Football Playoff this year, with many (this writer is guilty as charged) viewing the Illini as a contender to be “this year’s Indiana.” Based on how Saturday night’s game went, however, it looks like this year’s Indiana may be Indiana itself, whereas Illinois will have to make massive improvements on both sides of the ball to live up to preseason expectations.
Indiana is now 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1985 and 1986.
