CFB TEAM RESEARCH · Big Ten
Illinois
Season leadership, recruiting classes, advanced metrics, player leaders and results.
SEASON SNAPSHOT
2026 regular season
2026 regular season · 5 completed games · Big Ten. Postseason and bowls are excluded. Scoring ranks compare 138 FBS teams with recorded results: PPG #68; PPG allowed #94. ATS coverage 5/5; totals coverage 5/5. Betting lines are source-reported; closing status and observation timestamps are not verified. Missing lines are excluded from market records. View source data.
Overall record including postseason: 2-3. Regular-season snapshot excludes bowls and playoffs.
SEASON LEADERSHIP
Coaching staff
Head-coaching records: CollegeFootballData. Coordinator history is not supplied by this source. Multiple coaches are shown when credited with games.
RECRUITING CLASS
Incoming signing class
2026 signing class · CollegeFootballData team recruiting rankings. This is the incoming recruiting class, not a roster or transfer-portal ranking.
ADVANCED METRICS
Offense and defense
CFBD season statistics, including postseason where supplied. Advanced metrics exclude garbage time. PPA is predicted points added per play. Explosiveness is the provider’s successful-play metric, not an explosive-play percentage. FBS ranks compare the same source metric and season; ties share ranks.
SEASON LEADERS
Players who led the team
Passing Leader
Katin Houser
FBS #27 · 1,246 season total
102CMP155ATT1,246Yards11TD3INT65.81%CMP%152.88NCAA rating
Rushing Leader
Aidan Laughery
FBS #70 · 321 season total
45Carries321Yards1TD7.13Yards/carry
Receiving Leader
Collin Dixon
FBS #7 · 546 season total
40REC546Yards8TD13.65Yards/REC
Tackles Leader
Matthew Bailey
FBS #62 · 37 season total
37Total23Solo14Assists1TFL0Sacks
Sacks Leader
William Holmes
FBS #327 · 1 season total
1Sacks2TFL4QB hurries13Tackles
Defensive Interceptions Leader
Matthew Bailey
FBS #64 · 1 season total
1INT1Passes defended1Defensive TDs88Return yards37Tackles
Full-season player totals include bowls and playoffs. Each category starts with its main metric and uses secondary statistics only to break team ties. FBS ranks use combined player totals across FBS teams; tied totals share ranks. Defensive TDs follow the provider’s defensive-return touchdown totals. A dash means the provider did not return that statistic. CFBD is the primary source; 2015 defensive statistics are supplemented from ESPN.
FULL SEASON SCHEDULE
Results and market lines
| Wk | Date | Site | Opponent | Result | Score | Spread | ATS | Total | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-09-04 | H | UAB | W | 42–23 | -26.5 | L | 54.5 | O |
| 2 | 2026-09-12 | H | Duke | L | 27–31 | -6 | L | 51.5 | O |
| 3 | 2026-09-19 | H | Southern Illinois | W | 48–10 | -34.5 | W | 55.5 | O |
| 4 | 2026-09-26 | A | Ohio State | L | 19–42 | +25.5 | W | 53.5 | O |
| 5 | 2026-10-03 | H | Purdue | L | 17–24 | -10 | L | 62.5 | U |
| 6 | 2026-10-10 | A | Michigan State | — | — | -2.5 | — | 48 | — |
| 8 | 2026-10-24 | H | Oregon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | 2026-10-31 | A | Maryland | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | 2026-11-07 | H | Nebraska | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | 2026-11-14 | A | UCLA | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | 2026-11-21 | H | Iowa | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | 2026-11-28 | A | Northwestern | — | — | -3.5 | — | 52.5 | — |
H = home · A = away · N = neutral · Post = postseason. Source-reported spreads and totals; unverified closing status. Conference championships follow the source's regular-season classification.
Sources: CollegeFootballData; logos and team identity: ESPN. Historical conferences follow each season's game records.