Illinois football AT #20 Indiana Hoosiers – Saturday, September 20 (No time set)
One of the biggest games Illinois has ever played in the regular season could happen on September 20. We head to Bloomington to take on the ranked Indiana Hoosiers.
This game could feature two top 15 programs in the country. Indiana was the darling of the college football world last season, but they have gone through some changes.
Indiana went 11-2 in 2024 and made the College Football Playoff. That team was led by Kurtis Rourke, who threw for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He is now in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
Leading running back Justice Ellison graduated. That Indiana offense does get back their top two leading wide receivers, one being Elijah Sarratt, who is looked at as a top pass catcher in college football.
The scary part about the Hoosiers is that they rebuilt this offseason. While Rourke is out, they brought in Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza from the transfer portal. Mendoza is coming off a season where he threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions with the Bears.
Illinois might be able to do some damage defensively on the Hoosiers this season. While Mendoza is solid, he will still be somewhat new to the Indiana system. He also ate up the bad teams last season and had some struggles against better opponents. I’m not fully bought in on Mendoza yet.
Indiana’s defense is where they can really make up some ground on Illinois. They return a ton of talent, including all-world defensive back D’Angelo Ponds. The Hoosiers also return their leader in tackles, sacks, and interceptions.
When it comes down to it, I think this game is on the shoulders of which quarterback has the most experience. Both teams have gritty defenses. It will be a low-scoring game. I think Luke Altmyer’s veteran leadership in the Illinois offense should prevail.
Final score: Illinois 17 – Indiana 13