BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s 2025 opponents were already known, but on Wednesday the Big Ten officially released football schedules for next season.

They follow the same format of nine Big Ten games and three nonconference games. In the second year in the expanded 18-team Big Ten, Indiana will face reigning Big Ten champion Oregon for the first time as a conference opponent. However, Indiana’s first Big Ten matchup against USC will have to wait until 2026. 

Rosters will certainly undergo many changes from now until Week 1 of next season, and Indiana is no exception. That makes some factors in the 2025 schedule unknown, but there are still a few key takeaways to be made.

Here’s a look at Indiana’s full 2025 schedule.

Smooth runway, again

Indiana opens the season with three nonconference games that it should handle without much resistance. Old Dominion went 5-7 this year and has won more than six games just once since it became an FBS program. Kennesaw State went 2-10 in its first season in the FBS. And Indiana State went 4-8 at the FCS level. Similar to opening the 2024 season with FIU and Western Illinois, this gives Indiana a chance to establish itself and gain some confidence before Big Ten play begins.

Indiana could also benefit from opening Big Ten play with a home game rather than facing its first big challenge of the season in a daunting road environment. The Hoosiers host Illinois on Sept. 20, which shouldn’t be a pushover after going 9-3 this season. But it’s more favorable than some of the away games that lie ahead.

Challenging road trips

Indiana didn’t face the two teams that reached the Big Ten championship this season, Oregon and Penn State. That’s just the nature of the expanded conference, where no team plays more than half of the 18-team Big Ten in a season now. 

But in 2025, Indiana will have two road games that could be as difficult as any. On Oct. 11, the Hoosiers travel to Oregon, which is the No. 1 seed in this year’s College Football Playoff. That will be just the fourth time the Hoosiers and Ducks have met, with previous matchups coming in 2004, 1964 and 1963. Oregon won two of those three games. One positive is Indiana will have a bye week to prepare for the Ducks, following its road game at Iowa. 

Just under a month later, the Hoosiers head east to Penn State, which is the No. 6 seed in this year’s College Football Playoff. Indiana has never won a game at Beaver Stadium and has a 2-25 all-time record against the Nittany Lions. Beyond trips to Oregon and Penn State, Indiana finishes the season with road games in three of its final four games, which makes winning early in the season even more important. 

Familiar face comes to Bloomington

Indiana co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri officially announced Wednesday that he has accepted the UCLA offensive coordinator position for next season. Sunseri had success with Indiana’s second-team All-Big Ten quarterback Kurtis Rourke in 2024, and he coached three conference player-of-the-year quarterbacks at James Madison from 2021-23.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti retained the nine other assistants from his 2024 staff, thanks to an increased assistant salary pool of $11 million in his new contract. But on Oct. 25, Sunseri will be on the opposing sidelines of Memorial Stadium calling plays for the UCLA offense. It’ll be an interesting matchup against Cignetti and Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, who obviously know Sunseri well from their time together at Indiana and James Madison.

No Ohio State, Michigan

In some ways, the 2024 Indiana football season still felt like playing in the old Big Ten conference. Indiana played traditional opponents like Purdue and Michigan State, winning the Old Oaken Bucket and Old Brass Spittoon rivalry trophies. The Hoosiers also tested themselves against traditional powers like Ohio State and Michigan. 

But games against UCLA and Washington brought the unfamiliar reality of conference expansion, and that sentiment may be even more prominent in 2025. Indiana has played Ohio State and Michigan 70-plus times each in program history, but it won’t face either program next season. That will mark the first time since the 2008 season that neither team is on the Hoosiers’ schedule.

Indiana’s 2025 slate is full of non-traditional Big Ten teams, including Oregon (2024), UCLA (2024), Maryland (2014) and Penn State (1990).

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Police have a section of E. Indiana Street surrounded as of 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Our crew on scene reports Vanderburgh County Sheriff deputies and Evansville Police officers in the area.

Dispatch says they have not received word of any standoff situations in that neighborhood.

However, they do say a shots fired call was made several hours prior around 7 p.m.

We’re working on getting more information.

Copyright 2024 WFIE. All rights reserved.

Indiana cannot be allowed to win in Notre Dame Stadium

Make no mistake about it, Notre Dame’s first-round opponent being Indiana has added some narratives and wrinkles to the discussion that wouldn’t exist if the Irish had been matched up with almost any other team.

This game brings state bragging rites into play, but that isn’t the biggest narrative.

If Indiana wins this game, it’ll be the biggest win in program history … and it’ll be in Notre Dame Stadium.

Does this narrative sound familiar? It should, because it has already happened once this year thanks to NIU’s upset win over the Irish.

As great as this year has been, and as amazing as the team has been, lose this and get knocked out of the CFP right away and no, the season isn’t a success. Double that if you throw in the embarrassment agianst Northern Illinois. Triple that if the Irish get knocked out be Indiana in the biggest win in school history.

The bragging rights owned by That Team Down South would be brutal.

This is a must-win in every sense of the word, practically and perceptually for Notre Dame.

This Notre Dame team needs to be different

Notre Dame has failed in this kind of moment consistently for 30 years. What will it take to change the Irish’s fortunes? The right group of players led by the right head coach and staff. This team feels like that team. This coach feels like that coach. But Notre Dame must prove it on the field.

To their credit, the Irish have thrived under pressure this season which should encourage every Irish fan heading into this game.

From the Texas A&M game, to the required 10-game winning streak to lock in a hosting CFP spot post-NIU, this team has operated as if pressure has no effect on their performance.

A true compliment to all involved in the operation. Will this attitude carry over into CFP play?

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

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