Indiana hangs 63 on No. 9 Illinois in record-setting win - ESPN

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For the first time all night, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti stopped himself.

After No. 19 Indiana rolled past No. 9 Illinois in a 63-10 win, in which the Hoosiers scored the most points by a Big Ten team against an AP top-10 opponent, Cignetti was asked about the message his team delivered, especially to those who questioned whether the 2024 Hoosiers belonged in the College Football Playoff.

"[The media] controls all that stuff, I just got to get them ready and then we all play our games and see what shakes out at the end of the year," Cignetti said.

He then paused, smiled and looked at his communications chief.

«I want to, but I won't.»

The 2025 version of Cignetti might not be as brash. The 2025 version of Indiana, meanwhile, might be even better than its predecessor, and has no intention of leaving the CFP conversation. The first Illinois-Indiana matchup to feature ranked teams since 1950 became completely one-sided, as the Hoosiers overwhelmed Illinois in all three phases, surging to a 35-10 halftime lead and continuing to add touchdowns.

«We deserve to be in the top 10,» All-Big Ten cornerback and special teams ace D'Angelo Ponds said. «We proved that today.»

Indiana broke the previous Big Ten scoring record against a top-10 foe of 62 points, twice set by Ohio State, most recently in 2018 against No. 4 Michigan.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema was «at a loss for words» after the Illini's most-lopsided loss as a ranked team in the AP Poll era.

«I've never been a part of anything like that,» Bielema said.

Added Cignetti: «We broke their will.»

Indiana led the nation in average scoring margin (25.7 ppg) in 2024, but it came against a schedule that didn't feature ranked opponents. Although Illinois didn't