The Illinois football team's 2025 Big Ten schedule was announced Wednesday by the conference office. The 2025 schedule marks the second season with 18 teams and no divisional format.

"I think that schedule and the way it lays out is going to get a lot of people excited," Illini coach Bret Bielema said. We have Ohio State and USC coming here next year. I think that's a really big thing".

Illinois has set Homecoming for Sept. 27 against USC and Dads Day/Foundation Weekend for Nov. 1 against Rutgers. The Illini face Ohio State for the first time since the 2017 season.

The 2025 season will conclude with the annual Big Ten Football Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium, which will feature the top two teams in the overall conference standings at the end of the regular season, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship.

All games and dates are subject to change. The Big Ten Conference and its television partners will announce Friday games at a later date.

Sat., Aug. 30 Western Illinois

Sat., Sept. 6 at Duke

Sat., Sept. 13 Western Michigan (FamILLy Weekend)

Sat., Sept. 20 at Indiana

Sat., Sept. 27 USC (Homecoming)

Sat., Oct. 4 at Purdue

Sat., Oct. 11 Ohio State

Sat., Oct. 18 OFF

Sat., Oct. 25 at Washington

Sat., Nov. 1 Rutgers (Dads Day/Foundation Weekend)

Sat., Nov. 8 OFF

Sat., Nov. 15 Maryland

Sat., Nov. 22 at Wisconsin

Sat., Nov. 29 Northwestern

* The schedule includes two bye weeks. The Illinois play seven consecutive weeks to open the season before a bye on October 18. They will then play at Washington and Rutgers at home before another bye on November 8.

* The Illini schedule includes two 2024 College Football Playoff teams in Ohio State and Indiana.

* Illinois will play Washington for the first time in over a decade. The two teams last met on September 13, 2014 with the Huskies winning 44-19 in Seattle.

* The Illini haven't played Ohio State since the 2017 season and they haven't played the Buckeyes in Champaign since 2015. The game schedule between the two teams in the 2020 season was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

* Illinois and USC last met in the 2007 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Trojans beat Illinois 49-17. The Illini haven't hosted USC since the 1996 season.

* Four 2025 Illinois opponents finished with an under-.500 record this season including Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, and Northwestern.

* Illinois and Duke agreed to a home-and-home series back in 2015. The Fighting Illini will travel to Durham, N.C., on Sept. 6, 2025, with Duke returning the game in Champaign on Sept. 12, 2026. Like Illinois the Blue Devils had a resurgent 9-3 season this year and will play Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on January 2, 2025.

* Illinois fans will not fondly remember the last time Illinois played Western Michigan. PJ Fleck brought the Broncos to Champaign on September 17, 2016 and defeated Illinois 34-10 in Lovie Smith's first season.