Believe it or not, Illinois football has never played these FBS teams

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COLLEGE PARK, MD – OCTOBER 27: Football on the field during a college football game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Capitol One Field at Maryland Stadium on October 27, 2018 at College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

FBS Independents

Liberty Flames

It isn’t a conference, but there are a few teams Illinois hasn’t played among the FBS Independents. The first team is Liberty. The Flames joined the FBS ranks in 2018, and they have made a bowl game in the past four seasons. It has been impressive what this team has done, but I will be curious to see if they can stay competitive without Hugh Freeze leading the way.

BYU Cougars

Out of the FBS Independents, BYU is the team that surprises me the most. I would have thought the Illini would have played the Cougars sometime in the past during an early regular season game or in a bowl game. That didn’t happen, though. Despite BYU starting football in 1922, the two teams have yet to play.

New Mexico State Aggies

If Illinois is wanting a tune-up game in the non-conference, New Mexico State would have been a perfect opportunity. But the Illini have yet to play the Aggies since its inception in 1931. New Mexico State has only been to five bowl games in its 89 seasons of being around.

Massachusetts Minutemen

The last team coming out of the FBS Independents is Massachusetts. The Minutemen were FBS until 1906, and they joined back in the FBS ranks in 2012. During this time, Illinois never played Massachusetts, and that is sad because they are bad. I would love an easy win.

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