Illini Football 2026

Welcome to the Illini Football thread

Tickets Info | Schedule | Roster


2026 Illini Football Schedule

All times CT



Last year
Week 1 game move to Friday night was announced on May 14th
First 3 game times & TV was announced on May 29th

Lots of talk about Jayshon Platt ?

So, if Feagin had 188 yards last year as a RUNNING BACK. I’d guess he can at least match or slightly exceed that total as a tight end?

Or does it not work that way?

WhereDoWeStandWithStorr? said:

So, if Feagin had 188 yards last year as a RUNNING BACK. I’d guess he can at least match or slightly exceed that total as a tight end?

Or does it not work that way?

Click to expand...

think it all depends if he can block well enough to be on the field at TE. routes will be different too, but he's certainly shown pass catching ability.

PleaseMakeABowlGame said:

Lots of talk about Jayshon Platt ?

Click to expand...

Both he and Perry look like they can translate but I can see why they're high on Platt. This offense is taylor made for slot WRs (And WRs in general) who are serious about developing their abilities to play in the NFL (NFL schemes, concepts, etc.).

Platt is obviously a speedster but he brings some size as well. A really good pickup to help bridge in Nas Rankin because I think he'll be the best yet in what is turning into a real WR to the NFL pipeline for Illinois (Slot WR like Williams. Beatty, etc.).

The WR core in general is pretty underrated here IMO. Believe Illinois will threaten school records on offense this year and for sure once Boyd takes the reigns.

How I see this year:
Floor 5-7
Ceiling 9-3

1. Biggest concerns are OL replacement and DL replacement.
1(a) - our OL was not great last year. Luke was running for his life on more than one occasion and we had the 92nd ranked rushing offense. 12th in the big ten.
1(b) - our DL landed at 40th against the run last year. Firmly middle-of-the-pack in big ten.

Conclusion - Luke masked a lot of that with his legs and low turnover ratio, so it’s incumbent on Katin Houser to be able to replicate that recipe if those don’t improve. I see this ultimately being a wash on defense and probably a slight regression on offensive line.

2. Schedule

Should be wins: 3 (UAB, Duke, Southern)
- I’m gonna count them all as wins. No Darian Mensah, and at home, makes me feel like Duke won't be a tough one. (3-0 start to the season)

Good odds: 4 (Purdue, MSU, Maryland, Nebraska)
- Pat Fitzgerald on the road scares me, but I feel good about everything else here. I’d expect a 3-1 grouping here.

Toss up: 1 (Northwestern)
- it’s not been easy lately, and they did go win a bowl game last year. I just have a feeling Aidan Chiles will fit in well there against us. I’m gonna count it as a loss on the road in their new stadium. 0-1.

Bad odds: 2 (UCLA, Iowa)
- UCLA is tough at home. Iowa is tough no matter what. I don’t see a win here. 0-2.

Should be a loss: 2 (Ohio State, Oregon)
- forget about it. 0-2.

As of this very moment, I could see us 6-3 with 3 weeks to go and sputtering to 6-6 at the finish. I don’t think that’s puts a good taste in anyone’s mouth, but I think that’s a realistic (albeit slightly pessimistic) look. Now, if the OL improves and Houser is good I think picking up 2-3 games in there is totally doable. The reality is that the “weakness” on defense really wasn’t a strength last year, so it’s mostly incumbent on them holding serve and having the offense take off.

Now, optimistically, if the offense gels quick and we have a 3-3-5 revelation, yeah I could see 9-3 or maybe 10-2 happening, but I think it’s a lot to ask to reload like that.

CaptainCrutch said:

How I see this year:
Floor 5-7
Ceiling 9-3

1. Biggest concerns are OL replacement and DL replacement.
1(a) - our OL was not great last year. Luke was running for his life on more than one occasion and we had the 92nd ranked rushing offense. 12th in the big ten.
1(b) - our DL landed at 40th against the run last year. Firmly middle-of-the-pack in big ten.

Conclusion - Luke masked a lot of that with his legs and low turnover ratio, so it’s incumbent on Katin Houser to be able to replicate that recipe if those don’t improve. I see this ultimately being a wash on defense and probably a slight regression on offensive line.

2. Schedule

Should be wins: 3 (UAB, Duke, Southern)
- I’m gonna count them all as wins. No Darian Mensah, and at home, makes me feel like Duke won't be a tough one. (3-0 start to the season)

Good odds: 4 (Purdue, MSU, Maryland, Nebraska)
- Pat Fitzgerald on the road scares me, but I feel good about everything else here. I’d expect a 3-1 grouping here.

Toss up: 1 (Northwestern)
- it’s not been easy lately, and they did go win a bowl game last year. I just have a feeling Aidan Chiles will fit in well there against us. I’m gonna count it as a loss on the road in their new stadium. 0-1.

Bad odds: 2 (UCLA, Iowa)
- UCLA is tough at home. Iowa is tough no matter what. I don’t see a win here. 0-2.

Should be a loss: 2 (Ohio State, Oregon)
- forget about it. 0-2.

As of this very moment, I could see us 6-3 with 3 weeks to go and sputtering to 6-6 at the finish. I don’t think that’s puts a good taste in anyone’s mouth, but I think that’s a realistic (albeit slightly pessimistic) look. Now, if the OL improves and Houser is good I think picking up 2-3 games in there is totally doable. The reality is that the “weakness” on defense really wasn’t a strength last year, so it’s mostly incumbent on them holding serve and having the offense take off.

Now, optimistically, if the offense gels quick and we have a 3-3-5 revelation, yeah I could see 9-3 or maybe 10-2 happening, but I think it’s a lot to ask to reload like that.

Click to expand...

1A. I'm optimistic the OL will actually be better this year. Think we got more athletic across the board there.
As for Houser.....I think you will probably see a few more picks as he tends to be more of a gunslinger than Luke but he is probably a better runner than Luke and I think we will use him more in short yardages situations as well.

illini0440 said:

As for Houser.....I think you will probably see a few more picks as he tends to be more of a gunslinger than Luke but he is probably a better runner than Luke and I think we will use him more in short yardages situations as well.

Click to expand...

In terms of short yardage (QB sneaks, etc), he might be a tad more equipped physicially.

However, in totality, hard to bet he'll be a better runner than Luke. Last season, Altmyer had 469 yards rushing (excluding sacks). Houser at Eastern Carolina had 284.

illini0440 said:

1A. I'm optimistic the OL will actually be better this year. Think we got more athletic across the board there.
As for Houser.....I think you will probably see a few more picks as he tends to be more of a gunslinger than Luke but he is probably a better runner than Luke and I think we will use him more in short yardages situations as well.

Click to expand...

I think this every year and then I remember that Miller is the coach.

Interior OL is gonna be great if Renfro stays healthy

Anyone know when the parking assignment requests go out? Seems like it's around this time of year

CaptainCrutch said:

How I see this year:
Floor 5-7
Ceiling 9-3

1. Biggest concerns are OL replacement and DL replacement.
1(a) - our OL was not great last year. Luke was running for his life on more than one occasion and we had the 92nd ranked rushing offense. 12th in the big ten.
1(b) - our DL landed at 40th against the run last year. Firmly middle-of-the-pack in big ten.

Conclusion - Luke masked a lot of that with his legs and low turnover ratio, so it’s incumbent on Katin Houser to be able to replicate that recipe if those don’t improve. I see this ultimately being a wash on defense and probably a slight regression on offensive line.

2. Schedule

Should be wins: 3 (UAB, Duke, Southern)
- I’m gonna count them all as wins. No Darian Mensah, and at home, makes me feel like Duke won't be a tough one. (3-0 start to the season)

Good odds: 4 (Purdue, MSU, Maryland, Nebraska)
- Pat Fitzgerald on the road scares me, but I feel good about everything else here. I’d expect a 3-1 grouping here.

Toss up: 1 (Northwestern)
- it’s not been easy lately, and they did go win a bowl game last year. I just have a feeling Aidan Chiles will fit in well there against us. I’m gonna count it as a loss on the road in their new stadium. 0-1.

Bad odds: 2 (UCLA, Iowa)
- UCLA is tough at home. Iowa is tough no matter what. I don’t see a win here. 0-2.

Should be a loss: 2 (Ohio State, Oregon)
- forget about it. 0-2.

As of this very moment, I could see us 6-3 with 3 weeks to go and sputtering to 6-6 at the finish. I don’t think that’s puts a good taste in anyone’s mouth, but I think that’s a realistic (albeit slightly pessimistic) look. Now, if the OL improves and Houser is good I think picking up 2-3 games in there is totally doable. The reality is that the “weakness” on defense really wasn’t a strength last year, so it’s mostly incumbent on them holding serve and having the offense take off.

Now, optimistically, if the offense gels quick and we have a 3-3-5 revelation, yeah I could see 9-3 or maybe 10-2 happening, but I think it’s a lot to ask to reload like that.

Click to expand...

The bolded was largely because of our running backs. Our running backs ranked dead last in the country in yards after contact. Middle of the pack in yards before contact (offensive line responsibility).

We had more yards before contact than Missouri, but Missouri’s running backs hard more than double the amount of yards after contact.

Nebraska home game, UCLA road game moved to Friday night on FOX

Fri, Nov 6 - Nebraska at Illinois - 7pm CT
Fri, Nov 13 - Illinois at UCLA - 8pm CT

I don't love it, I don't hate it.

Nebraska has the same 10/17 bye as Illinois and they play a former Pac-12 team the week before at home (same as Illinois). Worried about their fans soaking up a lot of seats that Illinois fans will not want to fill on a Friday.

UCLA plays @Minnesota the week before so there is a day of rest benefit, but Illinois will be playing on the road. UCLA plays @Michigan the next week, so maybe that's a benefit?

Illinois plays Iowa after the back-to-back Friday games (at home). Last home game of the season. Illinois will have an extra day of rest going into that game.

Can someone explain why the NCAA has no problem interfering with standard Friday night high school games but has Saturdays blocked from the NFL impeding their space?

SCottm said:

Can someone explain why the NCAA has no problem interfering with standard Friday night high school games but has Saturdays blocked from the NFL impeding their space?

Click to expand...

Easy one, the college conferences are important business partners (or potential business partners) for the networks who would be putting the NFL in their airtime, whereas high school isn't.

You are of course 100% right that this is bad for the health of the sport though.

Do not like. At least we don’t have to travel to the West Coast AND play in a shortened week.

SCottm said:

Can someone explain why the NCAA has no problem interfering with standard Friday night high school games but has Saturdays blocked from the NFL impeding their space?

Click to expand...

Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961

Kind of hate the UCLA game being on a Friday. While I'm sure Illini transplants in SoCal will make sure there will still be a ton of orange in the Rose Bowl, I am guessing a Friday night game cuts down on at least SOME Illini fans who would have considered traveling to that one.

Dad's day is Nebraska so that probably messes with a lot of plans.

I wonder if this lessens the possibility of UAB / Duke / So. IL. being flexed to a Friday night, or if there isn’t any correlation at all?

illiniE said:

Dad's day is Nebraska so that probably messes with a lot of plans.

Click to expand...

Yep, this is a bad idea.