CHAMPAIGN — Kickoff times for the first three Illinois football games of the 2026 season were announced Wednesday afternoon by the Big Ten.
Most notable? An 8 p.m. Thursday game against UAB on Sept. 3 to start the season. Illinois’ season opener will air on BTN.
That change means a full quarter of Illinois’ games in 2026 won’t happen on Saturday. Friday night games were already set against Nebraska and at UCLA on Nov. 6 and Nov. 13, respectively.
After hosting UAB to start the season, Illinois will welcome Duke to Champaign on Sept. 12 for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on FS1. The following week, the Illini will play Southern Illinois on Sept. 19 with a 1 p.m. kickoff on Peacock. Additionally, other games against Purdue on Oct. 3 and Michigan State on Oct. 10 are both slated to start no later than 4 p.m.
Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).
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