Illini Football 2026
He’s likely not our top receiver (Dixon).
Love seeing this. Over the years Bailey always has had a hand in big defensive plays, and seeing his growth and success being rewarded by his teammates is fantastic to see!
TheFlyingIllini1317
- Chicago, IL
Just for one stretch I'd like to see 100% healthy Matt!
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
super tease:
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
nothing particularly new (or strictly football related), but the thirstiness of the fringe Illini (homer) sites is quite something. anything for clicks! not saying it's all garbage, but, JFC, have a standard
Illini92and96
- Austin, TX
I’m not an expert, but it doesn’t seem like it would make things any different. Is there a complication you see with it?
Illiniblueorange
- Pocahontas Il. Baby !!
Was a ruling made on Capka Jones yet ?
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Non-football observation...
You've hit on the primary requirement for filtering any information we consume these days: discernment of incentives and motivation.
Fortunately, it's usually obvious. Unfortunately, my observation of the education system of the past 25 years indicates that children and young adults don't learn it.
Not really, just personnel I suppose.Dan
Admin
Illinois Division of Public Safety and Illini Athletics Announce New Traffic Patterns for 2026 Football Season - University of Illinois Athletics
Fans are encouraged to arrive earlier than usual and review their designated gameday parking route.
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I've probably said this every August for the last several years now, but I am excited to see what our attendance looks like out of the gates this year. There are two big things to keep in mind when looking at the numbers below, IMO.
1) Attendance always lags success. Our basketball attendance was better for a 16-19 team in 2008 than it was for the National Runner-Up team in 2005 ... because the years after 2005 are where we saw the explosion in fan interest because of 2005's success. Same thing has happened in the Bielema Era.
2) Given the sheer number of people it takes to fill a football stadium, football attendance is even more dependent on the day of the week and opponent than basketball. So, it's obviously apples to oranges to compare a weeknight opener vs. a directional school to a Saturday primetime opener.
With that said, I frickin' love the trend we've been seeing with our attendance since Bielema turned this thing around! Keeping Point #1 above in mind, it's breath taking to watch our attendance go from its post-Lovie-Era hangover to continued, sustained growth over the last couple of years!
2021
Low - 27,624 vs. Northwestern
Average - 35,347
High - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
Home Opener - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
2022
Low - 33,669 vs. Virginia
Average - 43,048
High - 56,092 vs. Michigan State
Home Opener - 37,832 vs. Wyoming
2023
Low - 42,310 vs. Northwestern
Average - 49,698
High - 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
Home Opener - 48,898 vs. Toledo
2024
Low - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
Average - 54,750
High - 60,670 (x2)
Home Opener - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
2025
Low - 53,317 vs. Northwestern (obviously not that many people due to snow!)
Average - 58,350
High - 60,670 (x4)
Home Opener - 56,040 vs. Western Illinois (Friday)
And organized by statistic to show the changes! By the way, it works out really nicely that we had exactly 7 home games in each of these seasons, so keep that in mind when comparing!
Low
2021 - 27,624 vs. Northwestern
2022 - 33,669 vs. Virginia
2023 - 42,310 vs. Northwestern
2024 - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
2025 - 53,317 vs. Northwestern
Average
2021 - 35,347
2022 - 43,048
2023 - 49,698
2024 - 54,750
2025 - 58,350
Year-Over-Year Growth of Average
2021 - n/a
2022 - 21.8%
2023 - 15.4%
2024 - 10.2%
2025 - 6.6%
High
2021 - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
2022 - 56,092 vs. Michigan State
2023 - 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
2024 - 60,670 (x2)
2025 - 60,670 (x4)
Home Opener
2021 - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
2022 - 37,832 vs. Wyoming
2023 - 48,898 vs. Toledo
2024 - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
2025 - 56,040 vs. Western Illinois (Friday)
Crowds UNDER 35,000
2021 - 3
2022 - 1
2023 - 0
2024 - 0
2025 - 0
Crowds UNDER 40,000
2021 - 6
2022 - 3
2023 - 0
2024 - 0
2025 - 0
Crowds UNDER 45,000
2021 - 7
2022 - 4
2023 - 1
2024 - 1
2025 - 0
-----------------------------------------
Crowds ABOVE 45,000
2021 - 0
2022 - 3
2023 - 6
2024 - 6
2025 - 7
Crowds ABOVE 50,000
2021 - 0
2022 - 1
2023 - 3
2024 - 6
2025 - 7
Crowds ABOVE 55,000
2021 - 0
2022 - 1
2023 - 0
2024 - 4
2025 - 6
Number of Sellouts (60,670)
2021 - 0
2022 - 0
2023 - 0
2024 - 2
2025 - 4
However, sometimes I think a few subjective, straight-to-the-point talking points often hit home way harder than a bunch of stats. So, here is your...
TL;DR
1. When Bret got here, we could barely muster 41K fans for a nationally televised Week Zero matchup vs. a conference opponent, a game that also happened to be the first game with fans in literally two years! Fast forward to last year, and we are a shoe-in to get over 55K in the house for a weeknight home opener vs. Western Illinois...
2. In Bret's first season, a "big crowd" would be something like drawing 40K for Homecoming, and drawing between 30K to 35K (an INCREDIBLY empty-looking stadium) was the norm. By last season, drawing under 50K was unthinkable for any game, only the always-doomed Northwestern game would sell fewer than 55K tickets and we would sell out FOUR STRAIGHT home games.
3. This is just my spit-balling watching the games, but the following seem to be visual thresholds for how full the stadium LOOKS to the millions watching on TV:
-----> (A) We need about 48K to avoid the crowd looking very embarrassing in wide shots,.
-----> (B) Anything above 55K will effectively look like a sellout due to how many seats are tucked underneath the East Balcony.
Even in 2022 as we sat at 5-1 after FINALLY beating Iowa and gaining our first AP ranking in years, drawing over 45K for Minnesota was a monumental task ... AKA, the East Balcony still looked empty. Now? Excluding the crazy Northwestern snow game, Memorial Stadium has not looked "not full" (i.e., under 55K) vs. a Big Ten opponent in literal years, and it is far more likely to be sold out than be under that 48K threshold. The improvement is nothing short of amazing.
1) Attendance always lags success. Our basketball attendance was better for a 16-19 team in 2008 than it was for the National Runner-Up team in 2005 ... because the years after 2005 are where we saw the explosion in fan interest because of 2005's success. Same thing has happened in the Bielema Era.
2) Given the sheer number of people it takes to fill a football stadium, football attendance is even more dependent on the day of the week and opponent than basketball. So, it's obviously apples to oranges to compare a weeknight opener vs. a directional school to a Saturday primetime opener.
With that said, I frickin' love the trend we've been seeing with our attendance since Bielema turned this thing around! Keeping Point #1 above in mind, it's breath taking to watch our attendance go from its post-Lovie-Era hangover to continued, sustained growth over the last couple of years!
2021
Low - 27,624 vs. Northwestern
Average - 35,347
High - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
Home Opener - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
2022
Low - 33,669 vs. Virginia
Average - 43,048
High - 56,092 vs. Michigan State
Home Opener - 37,832 vs. Wyoming
2023
Low - 42,310 vs. Northwestern
Average - 49,698
High - 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
Home Opener - 48,898 vs. Toledo
2024
Low - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
Average - 54,750
High - 60,670 (x2)
Home Opener - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
2025
Low - 53,317 vs. Northwestern (obviously not that many people due to snow!)
Average - 58,350
High - 60,670 (x4)
Home Opener - 56,040 vs. Western Illinois (Friday)
And organized by statistic to show the changes! By the way, it works out really nicely that we had exactly 7 home games in each of these seasons, so keep that in mind when comparing!
Low
2021 - 27,624 vs. Northwestern
2022 - 33,669 vs. Virginia
2023 - 42,310 vs. Northwestern
2024 - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
2025 - 53,317 vs. Northwestern
Average
2021 - 35,347
2022 - 43,048
2023 - 49,698
2024 - 54,750
2025 - 58,350
Year-Over-Year Growth of Average
2021 - n/a
2022 - 21.8%
2023 - 15.4%
2024 - 10.2%
2025 - 6.6%
High
2021 - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
2022 - 56,092 vs. Michigan State
2023 - 54,205 vs. Wisconsin
2024 - 60,670 (x2)
2025 - 60,670 (x4)
Home Opener
2021 - 41,064 vs. Nebraska
2022 - 37,832 vs. Wyoming
2023 - 48,898 vs. Toledo
2024 - 43,849 vs. Eastern Illinois (Thursday)
2025 - 56,040 vs. Western Illinois (Friday)
Crowds UNDER 35,000
2021 - 3
2022 - 1
2023 - 0
2024 - 0
2025 - 0
Crowds UNDER 40,000
2021 - 6
2022 - 3
2023 - 0
2024 - 0
2025 - 0
Crowds UNDER 45,000
2021 - 7
2022 - 4
2023 - 1
2024 - 1
2025 - 0
-----------------------------------------
Crowds ABOVE 45,000
2021 - 0
2022 - 3
2023 - 6
2024 - 6
2025 - 7
Crowds ABOVE 50,000
2021 - 0
2022 - 1
2023 - 3
2024 - 6
2025 - 7
Crowds ABOVE 55,000
2021 - 0
2022 - 1
2023 - 0
2024 - 4
2025 - 6
Number of Sellouts (60,670)
2021 - 0
2022 - 0
2023 - 0
2024 - 2
2025 - 4
However, sometimes I think a few subjective, straight-to-the-point talking points often hit home way harder than a bunch of stats. So, here is your...
TL;DR
1. When Bret got here, we could barely muster 41K fans for a nationally televised Week Zero matchup vs. a conference opponent, a game that also happened to be the first game with fans in literally two years! Fast forward to last year, and we are a shoe-in to get over 55K in the house for a weeknight home opener vs. Western Illinois...
2. In Bret's first season, a "big crowd" would be something like drawing 40K for Homecoming, and drawing between 30K to 35K (an INCREDIBLY empty-looking stadium) was the norm. By last season, drawing under 50K was unthinkable for any game, only the always-doomed Northwestern game would sell fewer than 55K tickets and we would sell out FOUR STRAIGHT home games.
3. This is just my spit-balling watching the games, but the following seem to be visual thresholds for how full the stadium LOOKS to the millions watching on TV:
-----> (A) We need about 48K to avoid the crowd looking very embarrassing in wide shots,.
-----> (B) Anything above 55K will effectively look like a sellout due to how many seats are tucked underneath the East Balcony.
Even in 2022 as we sat at 5-1 after FINALLY beating Iowa and gaining our first AP ranking in years, drawing over 45K for Minnesota was a monumental task ... AKA, the East Balcony still looked empty. Now? Excluding the crazy Northwestern snow game, Memorial Stadium has not looked "not full" (i.e., under 55K) vs. a Big Ten opponent in literal years, and it is far more likely to be sold out than be under that 48K threshold. The improvement is nothing short of amazing.
This was tickets sold right? Not actual attendance? Not to detract from your post because I am ECSTATIC with how much we’ve noticeably risen in attendance over the past few years. And obviously still in a late season snowpocalypse that’s a great number for tickets sold, but we only allowed fans to sit in one side of the stadium. Initially I saw that and thought holy !!!!, our lowest game (with a blizzard) now out paces some of our highest games in previous years.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I haven’t even posted as much as usual this month precisely because of my day job!
Yes, tickets sold is the only widely available stat, even though we all know the tickets scanned will be a lower number. I think when journalists quote a tickets scanned number, they need to somehow secure that directly from the athletic department.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
I recall that he noted once he just cobbles this stuff together during breaks from cranking out Excel workbook financial models, which still makes me chuckle. He is truly a Loyalty treasure. And, I infer, kinda OCD like I was at his age
On the attendance front, yeah, it's nice to see the joint full again, even after carving ~10-15k off the capacity. My formative in-person Illini years were the '84 and '85 seasons in the wake of the Rose Bowl when we still drew 70k+ regularly. We did so in '89-'91 (the peak Mackovic seasons), which was the final season I attended a game after graduating (MSU, a 15-13 rock fight Illini win). And in 2000, when I went to the Michigan night game.
He has no day job. He can only fight the Nightman at night
when Lemmonier stole the game from us
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Now why you gotta bring that up...??!!
It was a beautiful September evening sitting the west balcony, and a fantastic Illini first half in which we blew them out. And now, 26 years later, what sticks with me most is walking down the ramp in the SW tower after the final gun hearing the visiting fans singing "Isn't it great to be a Michigan Wolverine..." while white-hot hatred of the officials and the visitors burned within me.