Before Illinois and Indiana take the field on Saturday night for the most anticipated Big Ten matchup of this young season — a game that carries College Football Playoff implications — it’s worth revisiting a chilly fall morning more than a decade ago that was bathed in far less pomp and circumstance, devoid of any link to national relevance or repute.

On Oct. 27, 2012, the Hoosiers limped across their western border and into Illinois having lost five consecutive games. Three of those defeats came against Ball State , Northwestern and Navy , and even the season-opening win over FCS-level Indiana State had been a battle, with Indiana ultimately prevailing by a touchdown. For second-year head coach Kevin Wilson, who later served as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State a

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