Another week of college football is in the books. We didn’t have a whole lot of marquee matchups, but there were a few statements made – both positively and negatively. Plus, Notre Dame won thanks to an elite offensive performance, but their defense continues to struggle mightily, and Michigan took a step toward a playoff bid with a big road win.
Let’s get to it.
Indiana Blasts Illinois In Top-20 Showdown
Coming into the season, several people (myself included) felt like Illinois could be this year’s Indiana. Last year, the Hoosiers had a light Big Ten schedule, dominated the games they should have, but lost in respectable fashion to Ohio State, and made the playoff. This year, U of I had a similar lighter Big Ten schedule and returned a lot of talent from last year’s 10-win team.
To quote the great Lee Corso, Indiana said: “Not so fast, my friend!”
In the biggest college football game in Bloomington, Ind., in quite some time, the Hoosiers blasted the Fighting Illini 63-10. Curt Cignetti’s squad dominated Bret Bielema’s from start to finish, and Indiana made a statement that last year’s playoff run wasn’t a one-off.
It will be interesting to see where both teams go from here. I don’t think Illinois is as bad a football team as the one we saw get blown out of the water on Saturday night, and they still have a couple of big games on their schedule that could turn their season around if they were to win. Can Bret Bielema get them back on track? This weekend, they get thrown back into the fire, hosting No. 21 USC in Champaign.
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As for Indiana, did that week prove they’re legit Big Ten contenders? They’re back in action in a tricky spot at Iowa this weekend, and still have a trip to Eugene to play Oregon, and Happy Valley to play Penn State on their schedule. If the statement win over Illinois didn’t convince everyone, the Hoosiers will have a chance to do so with the remainder of their schedule.
Clemson Is Done — Is Dabo Swinney Done, Too?
Oh, how the mighty have fallen!
The Clemson Tigers came into the year as a hot pick to make a deep College Football Playoff run. Over the past few seasons, Dabo Swinney’s squads weren’t quite playing at the national title level they’d been at for so long, but this year felt like Dabo’s chance to get back into he spotlight. Cade Klubnik was back at quarterback and a preseason Heisman favorite. The defense was stacked with NFL talent, especially up front.
Fast forward to Week 4, Clemson is 1-3, 0-2 in the ACC without having played Miami or Florida State, and appears to lack any sort of an identity. Heck, even Dabo Swinney seems lost and looking for answers. On Saturday, Syracuse came into Clemson and throttled them 34-21, and the score didn’t really even do justice to how in control the Orange were of that ball game.
Now, one has to wonder, is Dabo Swinney in trouble? The Tigers have been trending in the wrong direction for years now, really, since Trevor Lawrence left. Swinney has refused to adapt to modern college football team building and embrace the transfer portal, and it’s come back to bite him and his team.
If he stays emphatic on doing things his way, college football will pass him up at some point soon. It’s hard to part ways with a legend, and what Dabo Swinney has done at Clemson is legendary stuff, but if he refuses to adapt with the times, he risks losing his players, recruits, and his job.
Sep 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney prepares to run on the field with his team before a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis – Imagn ImagesNotre Dame’s Predicament
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish put up 56 points on Saturday’s win over Purdue. Their freshman quarterback threw for 223 yards and 2 TDs while not turning the ball over, including an absolute dime on the first play of the game.
6️⃣6️⃣ YARDS TO THE HOUSEMALACHI FIELDS' FIRST TOUCHDOWN IN A NOTRE DAME UNIFORM ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/1YCnKNhjRJ
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 20, 2025Two of their running backs combined for five touchdowns, over 200 yards rushing, and each averaged over eight yards per carry. They also had five different receivers with multiple catches. Yet, all anyone can talk about coming out of South Bend is a defense that seems to have lost its way. And justifiably so.
The Irish pass defense has been nothing short of atrocious through three games this season. While it got a little better in the second half against Purdue, it was hardly something they could call a good performance. Notre Dame had the nation’s most efficient pass defense in 2023 and 2024. This year, they’re dead last in that category, and that’s despite having an All-American in Leonard Moore in their unit.
So, what gives? Losing star safety Xavier Watts to the NFL has hurt, most certainly. But so has the transition from Al Golden to Chris Ash as the defensive play caller. Under Ash, the Irish have blitzed less, gotten next to no pass rush, and have upped their zone coverage. Golden’s defenses were known for their aggression, speed, and ferocity, and it seems like the new play calling has limited that quite a bit.
Can Marcus Freeman get the unit back on track? He sure has seemed frustrated when talking about it in the media. His next chance will be another tough test at Arkansas this Saturday against a team that can throw the ball around the yard quite a bit.
Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with safety Xavier Watts (0) after Watts intercepted a pass in the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 48-20. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY SportsMore College Football Notes
I mentioned Syracuse’s big win over Clemson earlier, but unfortunately, the Orange suffered a big loss amidst their win. Quarterback Steve Angeli tore his Achilles and will be lost for the year, which is just a brutal break for both him and his team. Angeli transferred from Notre Dame in the offseason, where he had been passed by CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey and was off to a phenomenal start to the season. Just an awful break for a Syracuse team that was really looking like a threat in the ACC.Sources: Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli will be out for the remainder of the year. An MRI has revealed he tore his Achilles in Syracuse’s win at Clemson. He expects to have two more years of eligibility, as he expects to qualify for a medical redshirt this season. pic.twitter.com/e0L0ArEeot
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 21, 2025 I feel like it’s rare that you see referees admit mistakes after the fact, but that’s exactly what the SEC did this weekend after Oklahoma’s 24-17 win over Auburn. The Sooners scored a touchdown on a trick play when John Mateer found Isaiah Sategna wide open down the sideline. Sategna pretended to substitute off while never actually leaving the field. Auburn didn’t account for him, and he was wide open for a touchdown. Well, the SEC announced after the game that the play was indeed a violation of their rules and should have been labeled ‘unfair tactics.’ That’s a pretty brutal pill to swallow if you’re Auburn, who’s no longer undefeated, largely in part due to a blown call; granted, they still had a chance to win the game.Statement on @AuburnFootball/@OU_Football game: pic.twitter.com/PCn8AwLkeb
— SEC Officiating (@SECOfficiating) September 21, 2025 Michigan took down Nebraska in the Big Ten’s Game of the Week. Quarterback Bryce Underwood wasn’t exactly electric through the air, but he didn’t need to be as the Wolverines’ ground game dominated the Huskers on Saturday. The win now makes Michigan’s path to a potential playoff bid that much clearer, with one of its toughest games now behind it. The Wolverines are off this weekend before heading out west to take on USC in Los Angeles. Lastly, it sure seems like Texas Tech is legit! The Red Raiders paid a small fortune to overhaul their roster this offseason, and things are paying off quite well. Texas Tech went into Salt Lake City for a ranked matchup against Utah and throttled the Utes 34-10. The offense was efficient, led by quarterback Will Hammond, and the defense (which has historically been their issue) shut down Utah’s offensive attack. The Big 12 schedule is a tricky one, but given how the Red Raiders looked on Saturday, their path to the College Football Playoff looks a whole lot clearer after their dominant performance.Hence then, the article about around the campus indiana s statement clemson is done notre dame s predicament and more week 4 notes was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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