As the calendar has officially turned to August, fans won't have to wait much longer for college football. The NFL will give fans a taste of their favorite sport with preseason beginning, and college football at least has fall camp to help hold them over for just a few more weeks until the real action begins.
With the season getting closer, teams are releasing their 'fan wear' game themes, basically doing exactly what it says, telling fans what to wear to home games. For Illinois, it is pretty simple, but for the third year in a row, the Illini are bringing back the "Hail to the Orange Out" game.
In its first season in 2024, Illinois kicked off this new tradition with a bang, beating No. 19 Kansas with a huge 4-turnover game defensively. In 2025, the Orange Out didn't help Illinois too much when the Illini took on No. 1 Ohio State, but it certainly added more intensity to the game.
This season, Illinois is hosting its Orange Out on October 3 when the Illini take on Purdue. Wait, what? Purdue?
HAIL TO THE ORANGE OUT.
— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) August 3, 2026
October 3rd. pic.twitter.com/Y2NEccgUKc
Illinois picks Purdue for 'Orange Out' with Oregon just two weeks later
You read that right: Illinois, which has home games against Oregon, Nebraska, and Iowa, picked Purdue as their Orange Out opponent. Some may feel like this is a sick joke, but it is, in fact, true that one of the best new traditions that fans only get to do at one football game in a season will be wasted on an opponent like Purdue.
Now, it is not like I am trying to throw a ton of shade at Purdue here, but if they had an NFL comparison at this point, it would be the New York Jets. The Boilermakers simply are not a college football school and really haven't been since the Drew Brees era and some small success in recent years; their talents are best used on the basketball court.
The Orange Out should be reserved for big-time opponents. Just look at the last two Orange Out matchups: No. 19 Kansas and No. 1 Ohio State, two ranked teams. Illinois has Oregon coming to Gies Memorial Stadium just three weeks after the Purdue matchup.
Why not give the Oregon game a little more juice with something as lively as the Orange Out to get fans even more hyped for the matchup? It just feels like a wasted opportunity. It is understandable if Illinois wants to win during the Orange Out, so maybe don't go with Oregon, but there is still Nebraska and Iowa later in the season. Those are two games that Illinois can easily be the favorite in and take home the Orange Out dub.
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