Friday marks the start of the 2025 season that Illinois fans will talk about for years to come.
This could be an Illini season that meets expectations, or it could be one of those ugly disasters, like after the 2007 campaign. Regardless, it all starts with Western Illinois under the lights on Friday night.
Here is the Illinois football vs Western Illinois – How to watch, weather, and series history
- Illinois football vs Western Illinois – How to watch
The Illinois game against the Leathernecks will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT/ 7:30 p.m. ET. You can view this contest on the Peacock app. This is NBC’s version of streaming, and yes, I believe you have to pay money to watch the game.
- Illinois football vs Western Illinois – Weather
As of right now, and you know how the weather changes, it looks like a beautiful day on Friday. The day will feature 76 degrees and partly cloudy with a slight wind of nine miles per hour out of the northeast. As day turns into night, temperatures will cool, as The Weather Channel has the low at night of 48 degrees.
Opinion, bring a hoodie, as the game could end up getting a little crisp in the air.
- Illinois football vs Western Illinois – Series history
With a team like Western Illinois, there isn’t going to be a rich history between the two teams. The Illini play in the FBS and the Big Ten, while the Leathernecks are in the FCS.
This will be the fourth matchup between the two teams, and all games have come within the last 18 years.
Illinois took the last meeting with Western Illinois, 34-14, back in 2018. That is a bit of an embarrassing score, as no FCS team should come within 20 points of us.
In 2015, the Illini managed to smash Western Illinois 44-0. And then, in 2007, an Illinois team that went to the Rose Bowl only beat the Leathernecks 21-0. That is crazy to think about. Reshard Mendenhall put the team on his back with 142 yards and a touchdown.