Indiana showed that the easiest way to quiet complaints about an easy non-conference schedule is to absolutely blow out a top-10 opponent in your Big Ten opener.
The No. 19 Hoosiers jumped out to a 35-7 lead in the first half on the way to a 63-10 win over No. 9 Illinois on Saturday night. The win should cement Indiana as a serious contender for the College Football Playoff once again given the Hoosiers’ remaining schedule.
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Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza threw twice as many touchdowns as incompletions in the first half. A week after he was 19-of-20 for 270 yards and five touchdowns against FCS-level Indiana State, Mendoza was 15-of-17 passing for 220 yards in the first two quarters and threw four touchdowns to four different receivers.
Indiana didn’t open the scoring with a passing TD, however. D’Angelo Ponds put the Hoosiers up 7-0 after he recovered his own blocked punt for a touchdown.
Illinois tied the game on its next possession thanks to a blown coverage on a 59-yard pass play. From there, the Illini couldn’t do anything right.
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Indiana’s defense recorded five sacks of Illinois QB Luke Altmyer in the first half. Altmyer was efficient when he had the chance to throw, but far too often he was having to deal with the pass rush in his face.
Indiana’s early playoff case
The Hoosiers were the surprise team in last season’s College Football Playoff after an 11-1 regular season in coach Curt Cignetti’s first season last the school. Indiana started the season 10-0 before a loss at Ohio State and a loss at Notre Dame in the first round of the playoff.
Indiana was impressive over that 10-game win streak. Though the Hoosiers didn’t play a ranked team before the Buckeyes, their only win by fewer than two scores came in a 20-15 victory over Michigan.
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A similar playoff recipe could play out again in 2025. After a non-conference schedule that featured Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State, Indiana has trips remaining to No. 6 Oregon and No. 2 Penn State but there are no other ranked teams on the schedule.
Despite the weak non-conference slate, 10-2 with losses to the Ducks and Nittany Lions should be more than enough to make the playoff. Especially if Indiana keeps blowing out opponents.
Illinois’ chances take a hit
Saturday might have been a swing game for the College Football Playoff. Illinois entered the game in basically the same position as Indiana. And even if the Illini only lose to Ohio State the rest of the way, it’s hard to see how they would be ranked ahead of the Hoosiers at the end of the season.
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After a home game vs. No. 25 USC next Saturday, Ohio State is the only ranked team remaining on Illinois’ schedule. Illinois could be well on the way to back-to-back 10-win seasons under Bret Bielema. But unless Indiana or the other Big Ten heavyweights stumble, the Illini may find themselves as the best of the non-playoff rest again. It’s hard to recover from such a big loss.
