Chambana Sun

Illinois will begin its 2025 football season with a home game against Western Illinois on Friday, August 29 at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Peacock, with radio coverage provided by the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network and SiriusXM.

The Fighting Illini enter the season ranked #12 in both the Preseason AP Top 25 and the Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll. This is their highest preseason ranking since 1990, when they started at #11 in the AP poll. Last year, Illinois finished #16 in the final AP Top 25 after a season that tied program records for total wins (10) and ranked victories (four). The team concluded its previous campaign with a win over #14 South Carolina in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Illinois returns 16 starters from last season—tied for most in the nation—and brings back 18 players who started in their bowl victory. Quarterback Luke Altmyer and outside linebacker Gabe Jacas were named to the Big Ten's Preseason Honors list of top conference players. Jacas recorded 74 tackles, including 13 for loss and eight sacks last year; Altmyer passed for 2,717 yards and threw 22 touchdowns during the same period.

The matchup marks only the fourth meeting between Illinois and Western Illinois, all played at Memorial Stadium. Illinois leads the series, having won each of their previous encounters.

Television coverage will feature Paul Burmeister as play-by-play announcer, Phil Simms as analyst, and Zora Stephenson as reporter. Radio commentary will be handled by Brian Barnhart, Carey Davis, and Michael Martin.

Tickets for this game are available through FightingIllini.com.

Head coach Bret Bielema is set to hold his season-opening press conference on Monday at 1 p.m. CT; fans can watch it live online.

This contest opens Illinois’ 136th football season—the fifth consecutive year they have begun at Memorial Stadium. The team enters on a four-game winning streak that ties them with Ohio State for longest active streak in the Big Ten Conference.

Illinois has seen significant growth in attendance over recent seasons. Season tickets sold out this year for the first time in more than two decades; student tickets also sold out ahead of kickoff. Over four years, average attendance increased by nearly 20,000 per game—ranking first nationally in total growth during that span and ninth nationally by percentage increase (54.89%).

Bret Bielema holds a record of 28-22 as head coach at Illinois—his win total through four seasons ranks second among Illini coaches since Robert Zuppke’s tenure began over a century ago. He is also credited with achieving multiple milestones related to ranked wins and consistent appearances in national polls during his time leading the program.

Several members of Illinois’ coaching staff have connections to Western Illinois: assistant head coach Thad Ward previously coached running backs there from 2005-2010; senior analyst Myers Hendrickson played for Western Illinois from 2008-2011 before serving as head coach from 2022-2023; his father Mark Hendrickson was also part of Western’s coaching staff between 1999-2012.