Indiana is THE team to watch this season

Full disclosure: Indiana was always the play. It was obvious.

Even to me.

Personal allegiance to Illinois aside, the only real feel I had for the Fighting Illini was hope.

The Hoosiers, a 2024 college football playoff entrant, were better this season. Better on defense. Better at receiver. Better at quarterback.

Illinois? The popular spiel surrounding it was Bret Bielema’s squad was this year’s Indiana. Yeah, last year’s edition of Indiana.

Not this new and improved version in 2025.

With the same smug, arrogant Curt Cignetti at the helm.

So, coming clean, I knew the Hoosiers would win. Even convincingly.

But this – a 63-10 pummeling – was absurd. Like Prime Mike Tyson against whatever paper contender got shoved in front of him.

Look, the Illini were not worthy of a top-10 ranking. They’re not at that point where they were to close out last season, which came with 10 wins and a No. 13 final ranking. They were, however, good. Ranked good. Maybe high teens good.

The problem with that, though, is that they were facing the country’s – OK, let’s face it – best passer in Fernando Mendoza, arguably its best receiving duo, probably its best offensive and defensive lines tandem, and without question its most underrated venue.

Memorial Stadium, even with multiple refurbishing ventures over the last decade, is nothing special. But it is electric anymore as die-hard, red-clad Hoosier fans flock to Bloomington, Ind., to pack it (56,000 strong on Saturday night) and make sure their every voice is heard.

While the then-No. 9 Illini (3-1) rebounded from a blocked punt return for a score by then-No. 19 Indiana (4-0) with a nifty 59-yard hookup between Luke Altmyer and Collin Dixon to even the score and give the illusion that this would be a classic Big Ten battle for the ages, the contest quickly devolved into a man vs. infant child display.

At half, it was 35-10. Following halftime adjustments, Illinois was able to “hold” the Hoosiers to 28 points in the second half while tallying none themselves – after coming into the game averaging 45 points per outing.

Mendoza was mind-bending accurate, completing 21 of 23 passing attempts for 267 yards and, ho-hum, five TDs. His star receivers – Elijah Sarrett and Omar Cooper Jr. – combined for 15 of those completions, 170 of those yards and three of those TDs.

Meanwhile, Indiana mauled Illinois up front. The Hoosiers racked up 312 yards and three TDs on the ground, averaging 6.4 yards per carry, and they engulfed Altmyer all night long, registering seven sacks, two each from Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino.

The Hoosiers were so embarrassingly good that Cignetti didn’t even feel the need to incessantly brag about them, and him.

The knowing smirk surfaced, though. Just as I knew it would.

Here’s the thing now: With that result, Indiana has risen eight spots in the poll to No. 11. The question is: Do you really think there are 10 teams in the country better than the Hoosiers?

My answer: Are there any?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

-Anyone else had enough of the Bill Belichick-Jordon Hudson “high school” drama?

-Will Nebraska ever get back to some semblance of its past glory?

-Are Scott Frost and Central Florida – excuse me, UCF – just a special pairing?

-Would Dan Mullen even consider leaving UNLV to replace his replacement at Florida?

-If it’s over for Dabo Swinney at Clemson, could he succeed anywhere else?

-Does Oklahoma sink with QB John Mateer out for a while after hand surgery?

-Does Oklahoma State soar with Mike Gundy finally relieved of his HC duties?

GAME OF WEEK 4

Memphis 32, Arkansas 31. Making a little statement for Group of 5 schools, the Tigers shocked their SEC guest as RB Sutton Smith ripped off the game-winning 64-yard TD run with 4:51 to go, capping off a 94-yard drive. The game saw the teams combine for almost 1,000 yards (Razorbacks had 500, Memphis 489) and the Tigers rally from being down 28-10 in the second quarter. They trailed 31-20 late in the third quarter before posting the contest’s final two TDs.

Interesting to note, this was the 44th straight game in which Memphis scored at least 20 points – the longest streak in the nation for that mark.

UNI WATCH

Hits: Michigan (blue-white-blue), Florida (orange-white-blue), Illinois (orange-white-orange even though I hate the script on the helmet), Colorado State (green-green-gold), Maryland (red-white-red and the Terps script on the helmet works like it did back in the day), Washington State (red-gray-red), and West Virginia (white-white-blue with its state logo helmet).

Misses: Pittsburgh and LSU. Two of the best outfits in the game, both with gold (really, they’re yellow, but whatever) and white as part of their primary colors to sharply contract with a dark color (Pitt blue and LSU purple), both went with hideous gold-white-white deals. Ugh. Double ugh.

HEISMAN HYPE

-Mendoza is my favorite now. With Oklahoma’s Mateer out likely a month or more, the door has opened and this kid, who portaled in from California, is in the right spot and putting up the right numbers. His numbers against Illinois can be seen above. For the season, he is completing 76.8 percent of his passes, has a TD-to-INT ratio or 14-0, and has the nation’s second-best passer rating (206.2).

-Who has the best passer rating? Southern Cal’s Jordan Maiava. (208.. He has the Trojans off to a 4-0 start and slowly climbing up the polls (now No. 21 after starting the season unranked) while averaging 12.7 per passing attempt. He also has 13 total TDs. Against a vastly improved Michigan State on Saturday night, he threw for 234 yards and three TDs and ran for 31 yards and two TDs.