A couple crazy things happened last Saturday night. Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium had a record crowd of 56,088. I’m glad that Memorial Stadium has a strong foundation of Bedford stone. When D’Angelo Ponds blocked and returned Illinois’ first punt for the first Indiana touchdown of the game, I could feel the stone trembling. A wonderful thing it was.

The second crazy thing that happened was this:

By the end of the night, Indiana throttled the #9 ranked Illini 63 to 10. The Hoosiers didn’t throw the ball once in the 4th quarter. This could have been a 70-burger. Coach Cignetti is an old softy. Wrong. He is a great football coach.

A friend of mine texted me these words this week. “The Heisman Trophy favorite plays for us right now. Let that sink in.” Those are nice words. Can I believe it? Yes, I can. Here’s why:

This Indiana O-Line is a special bunch. Never has a quarterback had a Heisman Trophy season without one. You can’t put up numbers if you are not upright. This season, unlike last, the guy at the QB position, Fernando Mendoza, is also a threat to run as well. Defenses have plenty to be concerned about. It all starts with, as Keith Jackson so eloquently put it many years ago, “the big uglies up front”. In the process, Indiana also ran for over 300 yards for a fourth time in four games this season. And this not against Indiana State. This was the University of Illinois.

What of the defense?

This group of eaters sacked Illinois QB Luke Altmyer time and again last Saturday. Seven sacks all told.

I have rooted on the Hoosiers for a long time. Long enough to remember the first four games of this young season have all been at home. I get it. This is not your father’s IU Football. If Indiana goes to Iowa City, I was there the last time they came in as a ranked team, and it was uglier than a bowling shoe, and the Hoosiers win by say 20 or more. This slight grin I am wearing along with a subtle turn of the head will grow exponentially. I sat with some math teachers this week. You get the idea.

Week Five Picks. Last Week: 10 winners and 4 losers.

Louisville beats Pitt… Miller Moss needs a coming out party at Pitt. He also needs to read the field a little better in the pocket to do it.

Notre Dame beats Arkansas… Even though the Hogs are just a few plays away from being undefeated, the Irish will bring a strong run game.

Minnesota beats Rutgers… Goldy will be smiling today. Never mind, he is always smiling.

Illinois beats USC… The Illini will bounce back today and remind the Trojans they are in the Big Ten.

Vandy beats Utah State… Anchors down, anchors away, whatever it is. It is still Vandy.

Ole Miss beats LSU… This is in Oxford. I was there for this matchup a long time ago. The B2 Bomber is to fly over setting the stage for an epic finish.

Ohio State beats Washington… The Buckeyes win. Hard to say. Enough said. Go Huskies!

Mississippi State beats Tennessee… Those cowbells will outdo Rocky Top in Starkville today.

Penn State beats Oregon… In a White Out in Happy Valley. The Hoosiers have both of these teams ahead.

NC State beats Virginia Tech… In Raleigh and the Hokies are reeling.

Alabama over Georgia… Yes. The Tide can’t stay down with this much talent. It will rise and it will roll.

San Jose State over Stanford… Big game for San Jose and the Cardinal goes down.

Kentucky beats South Carolina… Just when you count Mark Stoops out, the shuts you naysayers up for a least a week.

Indiana beats Iowa… Could this be a 5-0 start for the Hoosiers two years in a row? Just another “first” in the line of many that Hoosier fans are basking in. This week former IU coach Cam Cameron said, “I watched that game the other night against Illinois…every single football coach that took the job at Indiana, that’s what they envisioned.” This time it was for real.