This Illinois-Indiana matchup
features more intrigue than most of their previous meetings
[September 19, 2025]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
Things to watch this week in the Big Ten:
Game of the week
No. 9 Illinois (3-0) at No. 19 Indiana (3-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
(NBC)
Although this will be the 75th matchup between these two border
rivals, it's only the second time both teams were in the Top 25 at
the time they faced off. The other instance came in 1950, when No.
12 Illinois beat No. 19 Indiana 20-0.
Illinois has won seven straight games to match defending national
champion Ohio State and Memphis for the longest active winning
streaks of any Bowl Subdivision team.
BetMGM Sportsbook has Indiana as a 5 1/2-point favorite.
The undercard
No. 21 Michigan (2-1) at Nebraska (3-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
(CBS)
Nebraska seeks to beat a Top 25 team for the first time in nine
years when it puts its unbeaten record at stake against Michigan.
The Cornhuskers have lost 27 straight games against Top 25 teams
since beating No. 22 Oregon 35-32 on Sept. 17, 2016.
BetMGM has Michigan as a 2 1/2-point favorite.
Impact players
— UCLA LB Isaiah Chisom has 37 tackles, tying him for the most of
any Bowl Subdivision player.
— Indiana WR Omar Cooper had 10 catches for 207 yards and four
touchdowns in a 73-0 blowout of Indiana State.
— Michigan RB Justice Haynes is averaging 7.9 yards per carry and
has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the first three games. His
388 yards rushing this season rank him fifth among all Bowl
Subdivision players.
— Oregon LB Jerry Mixon had a 36-yard interception return to set up
a touchdown in the sixth-ranked Ducks' 34-14 victory at
Northwestern. Mixon has picked off a pass in back-to-back games.
— Iowa WR Kaden Wetjen tied a Big Ten record by scoring on a 95-yard
punt return in a 47-7 rout of UMass. The other 95-yard punt returns
in Big Ten history came rom Michigan State's Al Brenner in 1966 and
Iowa's Bill Happel in 1984. Wetjen had 216 total return yards (182
on punts and 34 on kickoffs).
[to top of second column] |
Indiana wide receiver Jonathan Brady (0) celebrates a touchdown
catch with tight end Riley Nowakowski during the first half of an
NCAA college football game against Indiana State , Friday, Sept. 12,
2025, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Inside the numbers
Iowa's Kirk Ferentz earned his 206th career win with the Hawkeyes on
Saturday, enabling him to set the Big Ten record for coaching
victories. Woody Hayes won 205 games with Ohio State from 1951-78.
... Jamaal Jarrett's 70-yard interception return in a 33-17 victory
over Purdue made the 6-foot-45, 360-pound defensive tackle the
largest Southern California player ever to score a touchdown. ...
The Big Ten has five of the top nine scoring offenses and five of
the top seven scoring defenses. No. 25 USC ranks second nationally
in scoring with 55 points per game. Oregon and Washington are tied
for third with 54 points per game. Indiana (52.0) is seventh and
Nebraska (49.0) is ninth. No. 1 Ohio State is allowing 5.3 points
per game to rank second in scoring defense. No. 2 Penn State (5.7)
is third. Illinois (7.3) ranks fifth, Indiana (7.7) is sixth and
Nebraska (8.0) is seventh. ... Rutgers already has blocked three
punts this season. That's the highest total for any FBS team.
Get to know him
Tim Skipper is UCLA's interim head coach following the firing of
DeShaun Foster. Skipper, who had been a special assistant on
Foster's staff, takes over a winless team that's coming off a
lopsided loss to New Mexico. This isn't Skipper's first stint as an
interim head coach. When health concerns caused Jeff Tedford to step
down as Fresno State's coach in the summer of 2024, Skipper took
over and went 6-7. Skipper announced Wednesday that UCLA has parted
ways with defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe.
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