Hello everyone! Oregon fan here thinking about making the trip from Baltimore with my girlfriend to come catch the game and check out that University of Illinois has to offer! Definitely want to get my eyes on the massive video board!! Haha anyway does anyone have any travel recommendations on places to stay, see, eat and drink etc? Was thinking about flying into Ohare Friday night and making the trip down to Champaign Saturday morning! Any travel advice and things we should check out would be greatly appreciated!

Is there a general sale for this game? I didn’t see a presale or anything for this game other than one email where tickets were being sold only in the top bowl of the United Center. Any advice other than just buy resale on Ticketmaster would be greatly appreciated!

You always hear from a lot of fans “they shoot too many 3s.” In the video Brad explains things perfectly.

Off the dribble 3, crash the boards, offensive rebound, defense scrambles to recover, open bucket opportunities.

This strategy also explains why, in a different video, the strategy our GM mentioned is to be the tallest team.

The season is starting and beginning with a loss to Bradley is not what should be happening.

How the bell did Tomas get his contract extended?

🏐

Duke grad here, coming in peace. One of my best childhood friends grew up in Champaign and is a big Illini fan. He came down to Durham last year to visit me and go to the game, and we decided to do the return trip this year! I have never been to Champaign and my friend hasn't been back in about a decade, so we were looking for recommendations while we're there.

Best restaurants/bars/etc. ? We'll be staying close to downtown/Campustown. If this isn't the right place to post this, feel free to remove it. Any PMs would be appreciated.

Northwesterns new stadium looks too much like a Soccer stadium. It’s nice tho.

lol I like da new tv :))

https://www.usatoday.com/sports/readers-choice-awards/university-of-illinois-marching-illini/

I am surprising my (ILL) friend with a trip to Champaign for the Duke Illinois game and I want to tailgate before. I have zero knowledge on how to do this..I have seen Grange Grove and Lot 31 are good for tailgating but the only tickets start at $350...I would love to not have to spend that much, so are there any other Lots that do tailgating? We will have a group of about 10 people! any help is appreciated!! thank you!!

Give me a tie jk

I spent the offseason building a full 2026 preseason preview for every FBS team, each with its own writeup. Here's the Illinois page:

https://www.sports.mainmarket.com/college-football-preview-2026?team=ncaaf-ill

Each one has the returning production, the transfer and recruiting additions, a position-by-position breakdown, the schedule, and where the ratings land them for 2026.

Heads up, only the first team is free and then it paywalls. Since I'm posting in your house, code LEECORSOROCKS opens all of it, no card or anything. Hit "Have a promo code?" if you run into the wall.

So, what'd I get wrong? Illinois is a sustainability question for me. It's 9-4 last fall on the heels of a 10-win 2024, but you return only about a third of your production this year, well under the national median of ~48%. It starts at QB, where Altmyer and his 7,600 career yards are gone. The good news is the replacement isn't a dart throw: Katin Houser started at both Michigan State and East Carolina and threw for 3,300 last year, so he's a veteran, not a project. Feagin and Ca'Lil Valentine give you something to lean on in the backfield too.

So the real question is whether Bielema just reloads the way this program has trended, or whether losing two-thirds of the production finally shows up against a Big Ten schedule. Where do you land, top-25 again or a step back?

I'll be in the comments.

The NZCFL is looking for coaches! NZCFL is a college football simulation game run on the free website https://play.football-gm.com/

We are a college simulation football league with 120 teams, and Illinois is looking for someone to lead them to glory! This league has been around for about 45 seasons, and we are still rolling along. We always need new coaches to help the league thrive. We're preparing to start up the 2062 season, and Illinois needs your help to start the next season strong. If you are interested, join our discord and our moderators and welcome committee will help you get started and on the road to the championship!

Discord: https://discord.gg/6pE48PYdhu

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/NZCFL/

https://www.usatoday.com/sports/readers-choice-awards/university-of-illinois-marching-illini/