Breaking down and analyzing the 2019 Illinois Fighting Illini football schedule.
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2019 Illinois Fighting Illini Football Schedule Analysis
– You know how the Big Ten is trying to up its non-conference game profile? Illinois didn’t get the memo, starting out against Akron, going to UConn, and facing Eastern Michigan. That’s fine, but the Illini had better be 3-0 to get this all going. In all, five of the first seven games are at home before going to Purdue at the end of October.
– How good is Illinois? It’s going to know right away in the Big Ten with Nebraska coming to Champaign in a must-win showdown for both programs looking for breakthrough seasons. There’s a week off to follow to get ready for the trip to Minnesota. Wisconsin and Northwestern are both home games, but there’s a trip to Iowa in late November to close out a run of three road games in four dates.
– There’s no Ohio State or Penn State from the West. However, the Illini’s have to go to Michigan State and get Michigan at home. There’s a mini-break with Rutgers at home before the date with the Spartans.