The Illinois football team's 2024 Big Ten schedule was announced Thursday by the conference office.

The 2024 season will be the first for the 18-team Big Ten following the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington to the conference. Illinois has seven home games in 2024, and five away games.

"I think when you see the schedule, it should get fans excited," Illini coach Bret Bielema said. "To have 18 teams now in the league and to kind of have this randomness, for us we’ve already talked about and made graphics about how we can use that in recruiting."

The Illini travel from coast to coast next season, with games at Oregon and at Rutgers. The schedule includes to bye weeks. The week 1 opponent on August 31 is still to be determined.

Illinois is finalizing plans for its Week 1 game at Memorial Stadium. The Illini were originally scheduled to play Eastern Illinois on Sept. 21, which is now the date for Illinois' trip to Nebraska.

The Big Ten Conference announced in early October the conference's football matchups for the next five years (2024-28).

With the Big Ten's new Flex Protect XVIII model, Illinois will play all Big Ten opponents at least twice, once home and once away, over a five-year period.

The Fighting Illini have two protected matchups that are played every year – Northwestern and Purdue – that are part of 12 overall protected games within the Big Ten.

Illinois is set to play Oregon for just the fourth time in school history, and the first in Eugene since 1995. Two previous meetings were in Champaign in 1970 and 1993.

The Michigan game on October 19, 2024 marks the 100-year anniversary of a milestone in Illini history. Memorial Stadium was officially dedicated on October 18, 1924, when Illinois played a homecoming game against the Wolverines. On the way to a 39–14 Illini victory, Red Grange scored five touchdowns.

2025

Home: Maryland, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, USC, Ohio, Western Michigan

Away: Indiana, Purdue, Washington, Wisconsin, Duke

2026

Home: Iowa, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, Duke, Missouri

Away: Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, UCLA

2027

Home: Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA, Wisconsin

Away: Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue, USC, Missouri

2028

Home: Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Washington

Away: Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern, Oregon, Rutgers, Missouri