Illinois

FPI Predicts Every Illinois Fighting Illini Football Game In 2024

Published

1 year ago

August 14, 2024

FPI Predicts Every Illinois Fighting Illini Football Game In 2024

The Illinois football season is 15 days away, as the team gears up for its 100th season at Memorial Stadium. The Illini are coming off a 5-7 record last year, with several close losses, including a bowl-eliminating defeat to in-state rival Northwestern in Week 12.

ESPN released its FPI projections for every Illinois football game in 2024. Given that college football is an unpredictable sport, the projections don’t exactly predict how the Illini will finish.

BetMGM sees Illinois’ over/under win total at 5.5 wins, which is on the fringe of a bowl berth. If Illinois were to qualify for a bowl game, it would be its first appearance since Jan. 2023.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 97.8% chance to win.

Illinois opens the season with a nonconference matchup against Eastern Illinois, its first of three straight home games to begin the season. Despite Eastern Illinois finishing 8-3, it never faced a ranked FBS or notable opponent, whereas Illinois played the best of the best in the Big Ten. Barring anything catastrophic, the ESPN FPI sees a near-guaranteed win for Illinois and to begin 1-0.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 30.2% to win.

Illinois will see a tougher matchup for its Week 2 rematch with the Kansas Jayhawks from 2023. This was Illinois’ first FBS loss a year ago and ESPN expects a similar story here. Kansas finished 9-4 after a 5-1 start, hanging on to beat Illinois 34-23. The FPI doesn’t give the Illini the greatest of margains, coming in at 30.2%. If ESPN’s projections hold true, Illinois will enter its homecoming game 1-1.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 79.1% chance to win

Another winnable game ends Illinois’s three-game homestand against Central Michigan. While Illinois has been prone to home upset losses (including a 2019 last-minute defeat to Eastern Michigan), ESPN gives Illinois nearly an 80% chance to win, putting Illinois’ record at 2-1 entering Big Ten competition.

FPI Prediction: ESPN does not have one for this game

Illinois and Nebraska meet for the fourth time in the last six years, but this time, the game is in Lincoln, Nebraska. Illinois lost to the Cornhuskers 20-7 last year, where the Illini struggled to move the ball and never led during the entire game. ESPN likely sees the game as a coin flip, given that Matt Rhule was on the doorstep of the best season in recent Cornhuskers history. It’s Illinois Big Ten opener and the first of back-to-back Big Ten road games.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has an 8.3% chance to win

Illinois lost to Penn State last year, as the Nittany Lions exacted revenge from an nine-overtime thriller two years prior. Penn State is one of the perennial favorites to contend for a College Football Playoff berth, making the Illini’s second Happy Valley trip under Bret Bielema a potentially taller order than its previous meeting.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 58% chance to win

Illinois attempts to reclaim the Cannon Trophy when it welcomes Purdue and Ryan Walters into Champaign for a mid-October tilt. It is Walters’ first trip to Champaign in two seasons, where he once served as the team’s defensive coordinator. The Illini will likely need a win here to stay in bowl contention, as it was trounced in West Lafayette 44-19 last year, Illinois’ first road conference game of the season. Illinois has been given a 58% chance to win, as Purdue is still in rebuild mode entering Walters’ second year.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 20.4% chance to win

The defending national champion Michigan Wolverines come to Champaign in an attempt to spoil Illinois’ Memorial Stadium Rededication celebration, honoring its 100-year history. By this point in the season, the Wolverines will likely be unbeaten or have one loss, needing to stay in the thick of the College Football Playoff discussion. Given the tall task, ESPN isn’t a fan of the Illini’s chances, chalking it up as a potential loss at a 20.4% win probability, similar to their encounters with the Wolverines in 2022 in Ann Arbor and 2019, which was also in Champaign.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 5.5% chance to win

The most challenging game on Illinois’ schedule comes in late-October when it travels cross country for the first time in the new 18-team Big Ten to Eugene, Oregon. The Ducks are another potential Big Ten powerrhouse who will likely be fighting for their Big Ten and CFP title possibilities by that point in the season. ESPN projects this game to be a near-miracle potential upset for Illinois, giving it a 5% chance to win based on the FPI Power Index.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 54% chance to win

The Illini get Minnesota on Dad’s Weekend for the first time in five years, as this is a team Illinois has gotten the better of in the last several years. Illinois won a thriller in Minneapolis in 2023 thanks to a late John Paddock touchdown pass near the end of regulation, putting a dent in the Golden Gophers’ Big Ten West title hopes. Despite high expectations nearly every year under P.J. Fleck, the Gophers seem to fizzle out once the calendar turns to November, which is arguably why ESPN likes Illinois to earn another home win.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 60.4% chance to win

Unlike its neighbors, Michigan State might actually be an easier matchup for Illinois, given that ESPN’s FPI heavily favors the Illini at 60.4%. The Spartans are under an entirely new regime in the aftermath of coach Mel Tucker’s firing and will likely be playing for pride and poise this late in the season. The Spartans did upset Illinois in 2022, effectively ending its near stranglehold on the Big Ten West with just a few games remaining, but both of these teams are in much different places. Not to mention, it’s Senior Day for Illinois, potentially adding extra motivation for the team.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 33% chance to win.

Simply put, Rutgers is a better team on paper, hence ESPN’s lower chances for Illinois at 33%. But, Bielema has been prone to pulling off road upsets before, including a last-second win at Maryland in mid-October a season ago.

FPI Prediction: Illinois has a 44.2% chance to win

The Illini are seeking their first win over the Wildcats in two seasons. The game is not a true road game for Illinois because the game will be taking place in a neutral site, the home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field. Both fanbases will likely appear in droves, as bowl implications could be at stake. Although Northwestern is projected to win, per ESPN, it’s close quarters, with the Illini coming in with a 44.2% chance of bringing home the Land of Lincoln Trophy again.

Illinois is seeking its second winning season under Bielema, as it finished 8-5 in 2022-2023, losing to Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Zain Bando is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or follow him on X @zainbando99

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Illinois

Gates Explains How Injuries are Holding Mizzou Back After Loss to Illinois

Published

3 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Gates Explains How Injuries are Holding Mizzou Back After Loss to Illinois

ST. LOUIS — Dennis Gates’ eyebrows raised when he heard the word choice of “struggles” in a question regarding a recent drop off in perimeter offense for Missouri that was evident in a loss to Illinois.

“You said ‘struggles’?” Gates asked.

“You know, I can’t wait to get healthy as a team,” Gates said to answer the question.

With three of its players injured, Missouri suffered a 91-48 loss to No. 20 Illinois on Monday. It’s the lowest-scoring performance in any game in the Gates era. It’s the lowest-scoring output for Missouri in the series since a matchup in the 1943-44 season.

There’s no way to sugarcoat how poor of a performance it was for the Tigers. The cracks in the foundation that have been popping since the season opener at Howard are continuing to break through even more.

But Gates believes returning those thee players will begin to patch up those cracks and get Missouri closer to its full potential.

“It’s like pieces of puzzles,” Gates said. “Our entire team has been put together a certain way. … So we have guys playing playing well, but playing out of position due to our injuries, and ultimately, I’m excited about getting healthy. You cannot ask our players to do more than what they’ve done. I take it on my shoulders, as the leader, as the head coach, it’s on me. This game is on me.”

The most impactful of the absences has been guard Jayden Stone, who has now missed each of the last seven games with a hand injury. He provided a scoring spark off the bench, including from the perimeter, when he was healthy. His initial timeline for return set him to return to the court for SEC play at the latest.

Meanwhile, forward Trent Pierce has missed the entirety of his junior season so far with an undisclosed injury. No specific timeline has been given for his return.

Additionally, Missouri faced another surprising hit against the Fighting Illini with forward Jevon Porter missing the game with a leg injury.

Between Stone and Porter, Missouri is missing a combined average of 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Plus the length of Pierce, who started in 19 games last season.

Gates believes Missouri is hurting not only from the absence of those three players alone, but also from the domino effect it is having on the lineups. Specifically with the offensive spacing that Stone brings that creates opportunities for other players on the offense.

“When you lose a guy (Pierce) that has not played this season and he’s a starter in the SEC, that’s a (missing) advantage with length, shooting ability,” Gates said. “Jayden Stone, the same way, look at his percentage. You have to have both Stone and (Jacob) Crews in the game to open up things.”

Dec22, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Jacob Crews (35) high fives guard T.O. Barrett (35) during the first half of a game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at the Enterprise Center. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSi

The injuries have forced other players into roles not originally expected, stretching the roster thin.

“But in the meantime, in the process of getting healthy, we got to have guys fill in the blanks and be utility guys and do something that we may not have planned for you to do,” Gates said. “Some may take the opportunity as a way to get on the court, some may not.”

Gates specifically highlighted wanting the guys who were being asked to do more to do a better job of defending the 3-point line, where Illinois shot 45% from. He also highlighted wanting center Luke Northweather to be more agressive offensively in Porter’s absence.

Monday night’s absence for Porter meant more opportunities for true freshman forward Nicholas Randall, who appeared in 13 minutes. He grabbed two rebounds in that time.

But Porter and Pierce’s absence was still painfully obvious on the glass. Missouri was out-rebounded 43-24 and gave up 29 second-chance points while only scoring five of their own, a key disparity in the loss. The dominance on the glass for Illinois was crucial to the Fighting Illini going on a 14-5 run to end the first half. Gates attributed the second-chance points to Illinois being able to execute consistently on the opportunities and Missouri getting out of rotation too often.

“The second-chance points that we gave up, they executed on every single one of them, and that’s what hurt us,” Gates said. “That’s what ignited their run. And I just thought our guys at that point, hit a wall.”

Gates isn’t letting the injuries, nor Monday’s blowout loss affect his perception of what the team is capable of. With optimism that at least Stone and Porter could return at the start of SEC play, he’s hoping his team will look closer to the original picture he had in mind.

“I think our team is a good team, man,” Gates said. “We can win games as we have, without certain guys, and we’ll continue to piece it together.”

That piecing together will need to come quick. In non-conference play, Missouri did not earn any sort of notch for a possible bid in the NCAA Tournament. Though the Tigers finish the slate 10-3, Missouri went 1-3 against high-major opponents in that. The loss to Illinois was one that draws even more questions on what the Tigers are truly capable of this season.

Illinois members of Congress are latest to tour immigration facilities after judge’s ruling

Published

15 hours ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Illinois members of Congress are latest to tour immigration facilities after judge’s ruling

BROADVIEW, Ill. — Four Illinois Democrats toured a federal immigration center outside Chicago on Monday, the latest members of Congress allowed inside immigration facilities after a judge last week lifted Trump administration limits on lawmaker visits.

Six months after they were denied access, U.S. Reps. Danny Davis, Delia Ramirez, Jonathan Jackson and Jesús “Chuy” Garcia entered the immigration processing center in suburban Broadview. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, criticized as a de facto detention center with inhumane conditions, has been at the forefront of an immigration crackdown resulting in more than 4,000 arrests in the Chicago area.

The Associated Press observed the lawmakers enter the boarded-up brick building after talking to a masked official at the door and then leave about an hour later.

“We wanted to test whether or not there would be a violation of a court order reaffirming that we have the right to be here at any time for any reason, without advance notice,” Garcia said afterward.

A federal judge last week temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing policies that limit congressional visits to immigration facilities. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by 12 members of Congress who sued in Washington, D.C. to challenge ICE’s amended visitor policies after they were denied entry to detention facilities.

After their visit, the Illinois lawmakers reported that Monday seemed like an atypical day with only two people in custody. A day earlier there had been 20, according to Garcia.

During the height of the immigration crackdown dubbed “Operation Midway Blitz,” more than 150 people were held at the facility, many for several days at a time, according to congressmen, attorneys and activists. Conditions at the center, where immigrants are processed for detention or deportation, prompted numerous complaints, a lawsuit and a court-ordered visit by a judge. Illinois does not have an immigration detention center.

Four Illinois members of Congress left to right; Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., Jesus Garcia, D-Ill., and Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., are allowed to enter the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Broadview, Ill. Credit: AP/Sophia Tareen

Since then, immigration officials have said they’ve made changes and those held at the Broadview center have access to hot meals and legal counsel, among other things. ICE has rejected claims that the processing center is used for detention.

While the Illinois Democrats noted improvements, they raised concerns about toilets without adequate privacy, few showers, and no medical staff on site.

“This visit will not end our responsibility. We will follow up,” Jackson said. “We will be back and we’ll demand answers.”

Ramirez said not having a medical professional nearby was troubling, especially after the death of a 56-year-old man found unresponsive at an ICE facility in Michigan. Nenko Gantchev of Bulgaria was arrested in the Chicago area crackdown. ICE officials said it appeared he died of natural causes on Dec. 15, but the official cause remained under investigation.

Four Illinois members of Congress Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., Jesus... — Four Illinois members of Congress Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., Jesus Garcia, D-Ill., Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., enter the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Broadview, Ill. Credit: AP/Sophia Tareen

Since the ruling, House members elsewhere have also visited ICE facilities.

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat, gained access to the Broadview facility on Friday and reported the practice of holding people overnight seemed to have ended for the time being. He said he had tried multiple times to visit over the past few months.

In New York, U.S. Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat, both Democrats, visited an ICE holding facility on Friday at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City. In a joint statement, the congressmen said immigrants were being held for as long as three days without access to showers and proper beds.

“The Trump administration’s obsession with hitting an arbitrary — and unrealistic — number of deportations is creating a humanitarian crisis,” Espaillat said.

In Illinois, the Trump administration has kept strict controls on access to the Broadview facility, barring attorneys, family members of those arrested and journalists. At one point federal authorities built a fence around the building as protests grew and clashes with federal agents intensified.

Separately, U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois said she was allowed to visit the Broadview facility late last month. Underwood, a Democratic member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, raised concerns about conditions, staffing and record keeping. She said no arrestees were present during her visit “due to a scheduled security system video camera update.”

A message left Monday for ICE wasn’t immediately returned.

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Illinois

Candy Cane Lane celebrating 45 years in southern Illinois

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

Candy Cane Lane celebrating 45 years in southern Illinois

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Ill. (KFVS) – A beloved Christmas tradition in southern Illinois is celebrating 45 years this holiday season.

Organizers say Candy Cane Lane is a unique and completely free Christmas display that brings holiday magic to life!

Committee members say 2025 is the biggest year ever for Candy Cane Lane, which now features over 100,000 sparkling lights, more than 500 characters, and 90 incredible scenes inspired by Disney, Universal, Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers, and many more.

Candy Cane Lane began in 1980 and was created by Mr. Tim Murphy. Murphy was an inspiring art teacher in West Frankfort whose creativity and holiday spirit touched countless lives, according to committee members.

Over the years, Tim’s many art students helped his vision grow brighter and bigger.

In 2019, Candy Cane Lane was featured on ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight, gaining national recognition for its charm and artistry.

Tim Murphy passed away in 2020 from complications with COVID-19; his dear friends, Iris and Bobby Kohzadi, vowed to keep his legacy.

A dedicated Candy Cane Lane committee was formed, and the holiday attraction is now a licensed nonprofit organization.

Leaders say they continue to expand and enhance Candy Cane Lane each year, ensuring that Tim Murphy’s spirit of joy, community, and creativity lives on for generations to come.

The non-profit is run strictly off of donations, which also help fund a scholarship program at Frankfort Community High School.

Candy Cane Lane is located at the West Frankfort Community Park at 1100 E. Cleveland Street, and is open nightly through December 27, 2025, at 9:00 p.m.

For more information or to donate to Candy Cane Lane, visit their Facebook page.

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