I can’t believe we are about to head into June, and that means Illinois football is right around the corner.
Most Illini fans have been through some ugly times throughout history. Even when we had NFL players, like Pierre Thomas, the program struggled to find footing. After a 10-win campaign in 2024, expectations have been raised greatly.
Heading into the 2025 campaign, Illinois knows the teams we are playing this season as well as the dates. But the times are now being put together, and the first three games are ready to rock.
Illinois leads off with Western Illinois at home. That game is set to take place at 6:30 p.m. CT/7:30 p.m. ET on the Peacock app. Big Ten games being on Peacock took off over the last couple of seasons.
The big matchup of the non-conference is next on the schedule. Illinois heads to Duke to take on the Blue Devils. This game is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET kickoff. It will be on ESPN or ABC.
Lastly, Illinois takes on Western Michigan in the final non-conference game of the regular season. This now has a time of 6:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be on FS1 as well.
Game times set for our first three opportunities. pic.twitter.com/WM6ENSfDjT
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) May 29, 2025
Illinois football has a much tougher schedule than their Big Ten counterparts
When I look at the non-conference schedule for the Illini, there are a couple of games that interest me. Western Illinois should be a blowout warm-up game. That will help us get into a groove.
The following game against Duke will be an eye-opener for most. The Blue Devils have done a great job building their program. Duke should be a top 25 program in 2025, as they finished with nine wins last season and have 26 wins over the last three seasons combined.
You should never count out a MAC program either. Western Michigan is always pesky, and if you overlook them, they can bite you in the butt.
With that being said, over in the Hoosier State, Indiana sits with one of the easiest non-conference schedules I have ever seen. The Hoosiers were the darlings of the college football world last season, and now they are going to make things tougher for themselves by playing a weak non-conference schedule.
The Hoosiers have Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State as their three non-Big Ten games. Not playing a decent team is bold, and not playing a power-four program is even bolder.
When it comes to the College Football Playoff, it wouldn’t shock me to see Indiana left out if they are deciding between the last few teams. The Hoosiers can’t expect to get in if they play garbage opponents early on in the season.