Illinois vs Nebraska, Friday, November 6th, 7:00pm CT, FOX
Neidermeyer
- Faber College
I assume Nebby wears red helmet white uni. Good call on blue.
While I do love the all blue, one of the best parts of playing a red team at home is that their fans blend into ours so you can't tell how many visitors there are.
I'm not a fan of the idea of the "blue out" (at the very least, could we call it something else?), but will be interesting to see. I can appreciate doing it against a red team, and I can appreciate doing something different, but I just don't think it will work. Like others have alluded to, any smattering of orange in the crowd will be very noticeable. Any red in the crowd will be very noticeable, and it would have disappeared in a sea of orange. Anyway, I hope I'm wrong and it looks cooler than I'm thinking it will. Either way, I don't care if our fanbase collectively decides to wear neon pink, as long as we can secure a bowl bid.
TheFlyingIllini1317
- Chicago, IL
I know it's a Friday but a bit surprised this isn't a sellout. If we took one of Duke or Purdue I think it would be.
Friday games just are not working out at Illinois. I think a big part is how far so many fans have to travel to make it and how late the game finishes. Combine that with $500/night hotel rooms, and people are just not willing to do it. Then toss in 40 degree weather at kickoff, and the crowd is going to be pretty sparse tomorrow. It's unfortunate, but we would have to be 7-1 and ranked to be pulling in a sellout.
I think Friday P4 games are lame. Let the non-AQ conferences have their time during the week. The games are actually really good lately.
If it was up to me we it would be Saturdays and moving rivalry games away from Thanksgiving weekend.
But but...Friday night lights 
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I'm just going to be super curious to see what it will look like. The pessimist in me says that (A) far too many people will wear something other than navy and (B) our shade of navy is not truly designed to "pop" in a color theme game like this. However, I will retain some hope that it looks really cool, and I am all for trying something slightly different (as long as we don't cash in on "White Out" and "Black Out" trends when we are a school that actually has two "real" / bold team colors).
FWIW, these are the only things I could find that might possibly give us a preview.
While this was far from a "Blue Out," this old picture of a night game back when a MUCH larger percentage of our crowd wore navy provides an interesting comparison.
I don't know why this game sticks in my memory so distinctly, but this was an "Operation Blue Out" we did during Weber's final season (IIRC, this upset win vs. a top 10 MSU team was one of our only wins down the stretch of our abysmal finish to the 2012 season). Unfortunately, I think this photo might do a good job of confirming both of my fears, as the navy looks surprisingly "dull" or "normal," and you can see the orange specks very easily. With that said, I feel like the all-navy underneath the lights at a football game might pop a little better, and I am sure our special effects squad will have the lights working overtime!
BZuppke
- Plainfield
Interesting how our focus has changed over the decades - Ray Eliot said we are primarily a blue team as the only orange in those days were the helmets. Blackmon brought in orange jerseys and in the 2000s we really started emphasizing orange. Actually Tim Beckman was a big advocate as we are the only team with orange. Even with expansion.
Battle89
- Cary-Grove, the better Trojan team
In all the threads about poor attendance, I think the hotel thing does not get enough (bad) credit. We love to carp on our fair weather fans but the hotels horrendous gouging for those that want or need to spend the night is a real turn off.
University of Chief Illiniwek...IYKYK
nationally ,
among P4 schools its us, Syracuse, Okla St, and Clemson
and you can add Oregon St, UTSA and Bowling Green if you want to include G6. I'm probably forgetting an obscure G6 school
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
Indeed.
I took the family down (wife and boys of 11 months and 3 yrs) to the home opener this year (Thursday night game). It was a very late game, so we needed a hotel room. Luckily, I was able to snag a pretty good deal for a hotel within 15 minutes walking range of stadium. Hotels throughout Champaign have been sold out for months for Friday night's game (assuming many Nebraska fans booked a long time ago) -- and if there were availabilities, the cost is outrageous. That makes going to this game much less feasible, so I have to skip going to this game.
Unfortunately, these Thursday/Friday night home games are extremely difficult for people to attend who live over 2 hours away.
Dan
Admin
Seven Air Force Wings of Blue parachuters are scheduled to jump down to Gies Memorial Stadium approximately 25 minutes before kickoff.
Wear Blue! Illinois Announces Hail to the Blue Out Details - University of Illinois Athletics
Illinois hosts Nebraska on Friday at 7 p.m. CT for the program's first Hail to the Blue Out and also Dads Day.
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Bit of a Virginia and Florida snub there.
I remember the Illinois vs Michigan in 1983 I believe. I was a 20 yo college student. I spentvthe night before the gave at my cousins house who was in law school. I woke up to his Michigan roommate playing the Michifan fight song. The team came out pregame in one color to warn up. Went back into the locker room and changed to all blue. The crowd went nuts when they came out in all blue. Hell of game... one of my best Illini Football game memories.
It's kinda bothered me that for the last few games we haven't introduced the honorary captains when they're on the field for the coin toss. Too busy with other BS over the PA. Seems like if you invite these guys to come here and give them an honor like that you could at least give the crowd a chance to cheer for them when they're walking out to midfield.
BZuppke
- Plainfield
Florida, Auburn
I’m doing the double dip as well with my student son… here’s hoping for a 2-0 weekend! ILL