What to know about Illinois football in 2026

What to know about Illinois football in 2026

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What to know about Illinois football in 2026

As the summer rolls along on our march to the start of a brand new college football season, we are beginning to dig deep into the makeup of the Big Ten and the rest of the college football world. The Big Ten has been riding high these past few years with three straight seasons ending with a Big Ten team crowned as kings of the college football world. One program looking to work its way up into the College Football Playoff discussion is Illinois. Could 2026 be the season the Illini make their playoff debut?

Here is a quick look at the Illinois Fighting Ilini heading into the 2026 season.

Quick 2025 Recap

Oct 4, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini wide receiver Hank Beatty (80) runs the ball down field during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

  • Record: 9-4 overall, 5-4 Big Ten
  • Bowl result: Won Music City Bowl vs. Tennessee, 30-28

Illinois was expected to be an above-average team in 2025, and its final record would suggest the team lived up to expectations. But that may not feel like the case for the Illini. After a strong finish to the 2024 season, expectations were high for Illinois with a preseason top-15 ranking, which climbed to as high as No. 9 in the AP Top 25 after some early-season wins, including a blowout of eventual ACC champion Duke. Illinois' season took a hard left turn in a Week 4 matchup with Indiana with a 63-10 drubbing at the hands of the Hoosiers, who went on to win the Big Ten and national championship.

Illinois did rebound with a win over USC the following week after their loss to Indiana, but back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Washington effectively removed Illinois from the playoff discussion for good.

Illinois ended the year with a 30-28 victory over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl with a game-winning field goal as time expired.

Head coach: Bret Bielema, 6th season

Nov 23, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema looks on during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

  • Record: 134-84 overall, 37-26 with Illinois

Longtime Big Ten head coach Bret Bielema is entering his sixth season in charge of the Illini. It is safe to say he has successfully gotten the program back on track in Big Ten play, but there are still some goals to reach going into the 2026 season. Illinois has yet to play in a Big Ten championship game or in the College Football Playoff, and those are realistic goals for this program to focus on. Bielema turned a program that won two games in the season prior to his arrival into a program fully capable and expected to reach the eight-win mark at the bare minimum. The big question is whether or not Bielema can take this program to that next gear as a Big Ten contender and College Football Playoff hopeful.

Offensive player to know: Katin Houser, Quarterback

East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser (4) in action against the NCState Wolfpack in the Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

Illinois will need to replace Luke Altmyer at quarterback, so the Illini pulled one out of the transfer portal with former East Carolina passer Katin Houser. Houser, who started his college career with Michigan State, passed for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns last season with East Carolina and over 5,300 yards in his two seasons with the program.

Defensive player to know: Matthew Bailey, Safety

Purdue quarterback Malachi Singleton is hit hard by Illinois defensive back Matthew Bailey on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette.

The Illinois secondary will have some room to improve overall as a unit, but having Matthew Bailey back this fall is a big plus for the defense. Baily is coming off a season earning honorable mention for All-Big Ten by the Big Ten coaches and media. Bailey is entering his fifth season with the program after recording 170 tackles combined over the past two seasons, 103 of which were solo tackles.

Does Penn State face Illinois in 2026?

Sep 28, 2024; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) reacts following a false start call against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State does not face Illinois during the 2026 college football season as part of the Big Ten schedule. Of course, the Nittany Lions could still potentially face Illinois in a postseason matchup in the Big Ten championship game or in the College Football Playoff.

Penn State is scheduled to visit Illinois in the 2027 season on the Big Ten schedule.

Full 2026 Illinois football schedule

Oct. 1, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini helmet during warmups prior to the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.

Home games in all CAPS.

  • September 3 (Thursday) vs UAB
  • September 12 vs. DUKE
  • September 19 vs. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
  • September 26 at Ohio State*
  • October 3 vs. PURDUE*
  • October 10 at Michigan State*
  • October 17 Bye
  • October 24 vs. OREGON*
  • October 31 at Maryland*
  • November 6 (Friday) vs. NEBRASKA*
  • November 13 (Friday) at UCLA*
  • November 21 vs. IOWA*
  • November 28 at Northwestern*

"*" designates Big Ten Conference game

Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about Illinois Fighting Illini football in 2026

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