Illinois and Indiana Meet as Ranked Teams for First Time in 75 Years
No. 24 Notre Dame hosts Purdue at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
Saturday’s Coverage Begins with Wisconsin hosting Maryland at Noon ET on NBC and Peacock
Big Ten College Countdown Begins at 7 p.m. ET (NBC and Peacock) Leading into Top 20 Matchup of Indiana-Illinois
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 18, 2025 – The Associated Press-ranked No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini visit the No. 19 Indiana Hoosiers in a matchup of unbeaten teams on Big Ten Saturday Night, this Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Coverage begins with Big Ten College Countdown at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Saturday’s coverage kicks off with the Wisconsin Badgers hosting the Maryland Terrapins at Noon ET on NBC and Peacock. Following Maryland-Wisconsin, the No. 24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the Purdue Boilermakers at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Big Ten Saturday Night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock: No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana
No. 9 Illinois visit No. 19 Indiana at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., on Big Ten Saturday Night, this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock, with live coverage beginning with Big Ten College Countdown at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Saturday’s game will mark just the second ranked matchup in series history, with the only prior meeting 75 years ago (No. 12 Illinois defeated No. 19 Indiana, 20-0, on Oct. 28, 1950).
The Fighting Illini (3-0) defeated the Western Michigan Broncos, 38-0, last weekend led by running back Kaden Feagin’s 100 rushing yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Indiana (3-0) defeated the Indiana State Sycamores, 73-0, last Friday. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed 19 of 20 pass attempts for 270 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half, before being replaced by his brother, redshirt freshman quarterback Alberto Mendoza. Wider receiver Omar Cooper Jr. recorded 10 receptions for 207 yards and four touchdowns, while running back Khobie Martin added 109 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Illinois-Indiana will be called from Memorial Stadium by Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Kathryn Tappen (sidelines). Terry McAulay serves as the rules analyst.
Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock: Purdue at No. 24 Notre Dame
The No. 24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Notre Dame fell to No. 10 Texas A&M, 41-40, last Saturday. Quarterback CJ Carr threw for 293 yards and a touchdown, while running back Jeremiyah Love had 147 scrimmage yards (94 rushing, 53 receiving) and two touchdowns.
Purdue fell to No. 25 USC, 33-17, last Saturday as wide receiver Michael Jackson III recorded 70 yards on seven receptions. Wide receiver Nitro Tuggle added 69 yards receiving and a touchdown in the matchup.
Purdue at No. 24 Notre Dame will be called by Dan Hicks (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst), and Zora Stephenson (sidelines). Reggie Smith serves as the rules analyst.
Last Saturday’s Texas A&M-Notre Dame thriller peaked at a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 9.4 million viewers (11:30-11:44 p.m. ET) and averaged a full game TAD of 6.2 million viewers (Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel, Adobe Analytics) to become the most-watched Notre Dame home opener since 2018.
Saturday at Noon ET on NBC and Peacock: Maryland at Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers host the Maryland Terrapins at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., this Saturday at Noon ET on NBC and Peacock.
Wisconsin fell to No. 14 Alabama, 38-14, last Saturday as wide receiver Jayden Ballard recorded 41 receiving yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Danny O’Neil threw for 117 yards and a touchdown in the matchup.
Maryland (3-0) defeated Towson, 44-17, last Saturday behind Malik Washington’s 261 passing yards and two total touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). Wide receiver Octavian Smith Jr. caught four passes for 103 yards in the win.
Towson at Maryland will be called by Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (analyst), and Caroline Pineda (sidelines). Terry McAulay serves as the rules analyst.
Big Ten College Countdown
NBC Sports’ Big Ten College Countdown studio show begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock leading into Illinois-Indiana. The Big Ten College Countdown team features host Ahmed Fareed in studio alongside analysts Chris Simms and Joshua Perry, and college football insider Nicole Auerbach. Jordan Cornette hosts on-site in Bloomington with analysts Matt Cassel and Michael Robinson. John Fanta provides game break updates.
Big Ten College Countdown will lead into Big Ten games on NBC/Peacock. In addition, College Countdown will lead into Notre Dame Football games on NBC/Peacock.
NBC Sports College Football Podcasts:
Rushing the Field with Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry presented by Xfinity returns for its second season with new episodes every Thursday morning and Saturday night. Auerbach and Perry will break down the biggest college football stories, preview the upcoming weekend slate, analyze the college football playoff picture, and cultivate a home for college sports fans who want the latest news, smart takes, and laughs. Each week’s episode will also air on NBC Sports NOW FAST Channel on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ 2025 Big Ten and Notre Dame Football games announced to date
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Platform(s) |
| Sat., Sept. 20 | Noon | Maryland at Wisconsin | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 20 | 3:30 p.m. | Purdue at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 20 | 7:30 p.m. | Illinois at Indiana | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 27 | 3:30 p.m. | Indiana at Iowa | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Oregon at Penn State | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Boise State at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 11 | 3:30 p.m. | N.C. State at Notre Dame | Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 18 | 7:30 p.m. | USC at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Nov. 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Navy at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Nov. 22 | 3:30 p.m. | Syracuse at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Fri., Nov. 28 | 7:30 p.m. | Indiana at Purdue | NBC, Peacock |
The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season, with each matchup typically announced 12 days prior to the scheduled game date.
NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football package features Big Ten Saturday Night on NBC and Peacock – marking Big Ten Football’s first dedicated weekly primetime game on a national broadcast network.
Peacock will simulstream all of NBC Sports’ college football games and studio shows airing on the NBC broadcast network this season, including Big Ten Saturday Night and Notre Dame Football home games.
In addition to Big Ten football, Peacock’s sports programming features live coverage of the NFL, including Sunday Night Football, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Big Ten basketball, BIG EAST basketball, Big 12 basketball, Notre Dame Football, Premier League, the U.S. Women’s and Men’s National Teams soccer matches (in Spanish), golf, NBA and WNBA coming in 2025 and 2026, respectively, and much more.
To learn more about how to watch Big Ten Football on Peacock and how to sign up, click here.
--NBC SPORTS--
