The Big Ten office announced the conference schedules for the 2016 and ’17 college football seasons Thursday. ’16 begins the start of the nine-game conference slate in the Big Ten.
The Illini, in the Big Ten West Division starting in 2014, will play each of the other six West Division foes – Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin – in both 2016 and ’17, in addition to three crossover games against the East. In 2016, the Fighting Illini will have crossover games at Rutgers (Oct. 15), at Michigan (Oct. 22) and at home against Michigan State (Nov. 5), making five of the Fighting Illini’s nine B1G games on the road.
The 2017 Illinois slate will feature three different crossover games against the East Division – at home against Rutgers (Oct. 14) and Indiana (Nov. 11), and at Ohio State (Nov. 18) – in addition to the six West Division games, meaning the Illini will have five Big Ten home games vs. four road games that season.
All Fighting Illini non-conference games for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, as well as two for the 2015 season, have yet to be announced. Earlier this summer, Illinois announced conference schedules for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, as well as a pair of non-conference games for 2015.
Illini Future Schedule Notes
• Illini will open the Big Ten season against Nebraska each year between 2013 and 2017. The Fighting Illini will open conference play in Lincoln in 2013, 2014 and 2016, and in Champaign against the Huskers in 2015 and 2017.
• The Fighting Illini will close the regular season against in-state rival Northwestern every season through 2017. The Illini will finish in Evanston in 2014 and 2016 and will host the Wildcats in Champaign on the final weekend in 2013, 2015 and 2017.
• While the 2014 Illini schedule is complete, the Illini still have two nonconference games to set in 2015 and three each in 2016 and ’17.
The Fighting Illini will play seven home games in 2013. In addition, the Fighting Illini also will host the Chicago Homecoming game at historic Soldier Field in Chicago on Sept. 14 against Washington. Tickets for the Chicago Homecoming game are on sale now.
Illini Schedules 2013-17
2016 Illini FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (as of 7/11/13)
Date Opponent Location
Oct. 1 at Nebraska Lincoln, Neb.
Oct. 8 Purdue Memorial Stadium
Oct. 15 at Rutgers Piscataway, N.J.
Oct. 22 at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich.
Oct. 29 Minnesota Memorial Stadium
Nov. 5 Michigan State Memorial Stadium
Nov. 12 at Wisconsin Madison, Wis.
Nov. 19 Iowa Memorial Stadium
Nov. 26 at Northwestern Evanston, Ill.
Three non-conference games TBA
2017 Illini FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (as of 7/11/13)
Date Opponent Location
Sept. 30 Nebraska Memorial Stadium
Oct. 7 at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa
Oct. 14 Rutgers Memorial Stadium
Oct. 21 at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn.
Oct. 28 Wisconsin Memorial Stadium
Nov. 4 at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind.
Nov. 11 Indiana Memorial Stadium
Nov. 18 at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 25 Northwestern Memorial Stadium
Three non-conference games TBA
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