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Indiana-Illinois clash set for primetime NBC spotlight

Browning Headshotby: Zach Browning09/08/25ZachBrowning17
Syndication: The Herald-Times
The national anthem is played as the flag is raised before the start of the Indiana versus Washington football game at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024.

One of the biggest games on Indiana’s 2025 football schedule is headed to the bright lights.

The Big Ten announced Monday that Indiana’s Week 4 showdown with Illinois will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 20 at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. NBC will carry the broadcast nationally, with streaming available on Peacock.

The Hoosiers, ranked No. 22 in the latest AP Top 25, open Big Ten play against No. 9 Illinois in what’s shaping up as one of the most anticipated games in Bloomington in decades. It’s the first top-10 opponent to visit Memorial Stadium since Ohio State’s 2023 opener and could mark the first time in program history Indiana has hosted a ranked opponent while also being ranked itself.

Both teams have opened the season 2-0, with Indiana rolling past Old Dominion and Kennesaw State, while Illinois took down Western Illinois and Duke. ESPN’s Football Power Index projects Indiana as the favorite with a 61.3 percent chance to win, and oddsmakers have installed the Hoosiers as a slight favorite.

History leans Illinois’ way — the Fighting Illini lead the all-time series 46-26-2 and pulled out a 48-45 overtime thriller in 2023. Indiana last beat Illinois in Bloomington in 2022.

The matchup also features two of the Big Ten’s hottest quarterbacks. Illinois’ Luke Altmyer has completed 75% of his passes for six touchdowns without an interception, while Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza — a transfer from Cal — has thrown four touchdowns with no turnovers.

The stakes are high. Indiana reached the College Football Playoff last season under Curt Cignetti, while Bret Bielema’s Illini capped 2024 with a Citrus Bowl victory. Both programs entered this fall ranked and hungry to prove they belong in the thick of the CFP race.

Memorial Stadium is expected to be rocking for a sold-out “red out” crowd. Indiana hasn’t beaten a top-10 opponent at home since 2020 — and the last time it happened in front of fans was in 1967.

This time, the nation will be watching.

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