Curt Cignetti and Bret Bielema have never met head-to-head, but that will change next month.
The Indiana and Illinois head coaches are leading the two Big Ten programs that made massive jumps in 2024, and appear to be competing for one of the precious few spots available in the 2025 College Football Playoff.
How that first head-to-head meeting on Sept. 20 goes is likely to go a long way towards determining whether the Hoosiers or Fighting Illini are still in the CFP hunt come late November.
Bielema was named as the 26th Fighting Illini Head Football Coach in the history of the program in December 2020. A native of Prophetstown, Illinois, Bielema has 27 years of collegiate coaching experience and compiled a 16-year record of 125-80 (.610) as head coach at Wisconsin, Arkansas, and Illinois.
Bielema, who signed a six-year agreement in 2025 that will keep him at Illinois through 2030, has elevated Illinois to new heights during his first four seasons with 28 wins, 18 Big Ten victories, and a victory in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl over South Carolina to give Illinois its fifth 10-win season in program history.
Meanwhile, Cignetti needs no introduction to IU fans after leading the Hoosiers to their most wins (11) in program history, and their first appearance in the CFP.
The cross-border matchup, the first conference game for both teams in 2025, could also make the difference in keeping the loser out of contention for the Big Ten Championship game in December.
Bielema has been watching film on Indiana during the offseason in preparation for the sold out game at IU’s Memorial Stadium. He has come away impressed with Cignetti and the Hoosiers.
“Coach Cignetti has had a lot of success everywhere he’s been,” Bielema said on the I on Illini podcast. “Incredibly gifted coach. Just watching them on film, huge, mad respect for what they’re doing.”
While the game doesn’t arrive until week four, Bielema is well aware of high stakes matchup.
“It’s one that’s going to be huge,” he said.
Bielema went on to say what Cignetti did at IU last year represents a new model for hiring a Power 4 head coach in the transfer portal era. He said Purdue’s hire of Barry Odom appears to be modeled after Cignetti. From UNLV, Odom is another coach who has experience rebuilding programs, and the ability to bring people with him via the transfer portal.
There’s a good chance Indiana and Illinois will both be ranked when they play. If that happens it will be the first time in the series both teams were ranked when they played since 1950. Coincidentally, Indiana was ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll that year, and Illinois No. 12. This year they are No. 20 and 12, respectively.
Illinois leads the all-time series, 46-26-2, but they haven’t won in Bloomington since 2011. Overall IU has won four of the last five meetings.
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