Football
October 25, 2025
Preview
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois returns home to face Rutgers in its second of back-to-back games before the team’s second bye week. Continuing the proud 100+-year Illinois tradition of the Dads Association, which began in 1920, Saturday’s game will be marked as Dads Day, honoring the dads of all Fighting Illini.
Illinois (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) and Rutgers (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) will meet for the 10th time in program history. The Illini are 6-3 all-time against Rutgers, with wins in four of the last five meetings.
Saturday’s game is Illinois’ fourth straight sellout. The Illini sold out four straight games for the first time since the 2008 season.
Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst), and Zora Stephenson (reporter) have the television broadcast on NBC. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the radio call with Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), and Michael Martin (sideline).
Tickets are sold out. Visit SeatGeek, the official ticket marketplace of Illinois Athletics.
Press Conference
Notes
Illinois Hosts Days Day
• Illinois returns home to face Rutgers in its second of back-to-back games before the team’s second bye week.
• Continuing the proud 100+-year Illinois tradition of the Dads Association, which began in 1920, Saturday’s game will be marked as Dads Day, honoring the dads of all Fighting Illini. A “King Dad” will be crowned at halftime.
Rutgers Game Sold Out
• The Rutgers sellout is Illinois’ fourth in a row, tying the program’s longest sellout streak since 1982-87 (28 straight). The Illini also sold out four straight games during the 2008 season.
• Illinois sold out games against Western Michigan (Sept. 13), USC (Sept. 27), Ohio State (Oct. 11), and Rutgers (Nov. 1).
• Illinois announced on May 21 that its season tickets had sold out for the first time in at least 20 years. The Fighting Illini’s final season ticket total is over 42,000, including student season tickets sold out.
• Over the last four seasons, Illinois has experienced the largest growth in attendance in the nation and the largest growth in the Big Ten by a wide margin. Average attendance increased by nearly 20,000 from 2021 to 2024, ranking Illinois #1 in the nation in three-year growth (+19,403 average attendance gained) and #9 in the nation in percentage growth (+54.89% attendance increase).
Winning Ways
• Illinois has 15 wins over the last two seasons. A 16th win would give Illinois its most wins over a two-year stretch since 1989-90, when the Illini went 10-2 then 8-4 under John Mackovic.
• Illinois’ most wins over a two-year stretch:
18 — 1989-90; 1902-03; 1901-02
17 — 1983-84; 1982-83; 1903-04
16 — 1988-89; 1950-51
• Illinois is 15-6 over the last two seasons, including 11 Power-4 wins, eight Big Ten wins, and wins over teams from every other Power-4 conference: the SEC (vs. South Carolina, 2024), the ACC (at Duke, 2025), and the Big XII (Kansas, 2024).
• Illinois is 10-2 against unranked teams over the last two seasons (2024-25).
• Illinois is looking to become postseason eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-11.
