Illinois
Illinois-Penn State ‘College GameDay’ predictions: Who picked Illini, Nittany Lions?
Schedule video for the 2024 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
Here is who Illinois will play in the 2024 college football season, from its opener vs. Eastern Illinois to the season finale at Wrigley Field.
After plenty of talking and pregame drama, the Illinois and Penn State football teams are ready to meet on the field Saturday night.
For coach Bret Bielema and the No. 21 Fighting Illini, Saturday’s game will be a chance to assert themselves as a legitimate threat to contend in the Big Ten after a 31-24 overtime win last week against Nebraska. Penn State, No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, remains a contender for the new 12-team College Football Playoff and in the Big Ten.
Though their game didn’t earn the “College GameDay” treatment — ESPN’s popular pregame show was broadcasting from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, ahead of Saturday night’s game between No. 4 Alabama and No. 2 Georgia — the matchup between Illinois and Penn State is one of the biggest on the Week 5 calendar. The game is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. from Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. The game is broadcast on NBC and streams on Peacock.
Shirtless fans and big man TDs: Shirtless fans and big man TDs: How social media reacted to Illinois football’s big road win
What did ‘GameDay’ say about Illinois-Penn State?
Pat McAfee of the “College GameDay” crew was excited about the Illini, pointing out their solid quarterback play behind Luke Altmyer and receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin. He said the large point spread put the Illini and Bielema “right where they want to be.”
Host Rece Davis brought up Bielema’s oft-discussed comment about “White Out energy, whatever the hell that means” (but left out the full context). Fellow panelist Desmond Howard jumped in and said the Illini were about to “eff around and find out,” highlighting the Penn State offense behind QB Drew Allar.
“I love what I see from this Penn State offense,” Howard said. “It’s gonna be a great game tonight in Happy Valley.”
Here’s who the “College GameDay” crew of McAfee, Nick Saban, celebrity guest-picker Terry Saban and more picked between the Illini and Nittany Lions:
Illinois-Penn State on ‘College GameDay’ | Who Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit picked:
- Desmond Howard: Penn State
- Nick Saban: Penn State
- Terry Saban: Penn State
- Pat McAfee: Penn State
- Lee Corso: Penn State
- Kirk Herbstreit: Penn State
Wes Huett is Journal Star local sports and news editor. Email him at whuett@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @WesHuett.
Illinois
Powerful tornadoes leave behind devastation in Illinois
Illinois
Storms bring damaging winds and heavy rains to central Illinois
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Multiple rounds of severe storms impacted central Illinois on Wednesday bringing damaging wind gusts and very heavy rain. Our area was sparred from the worst of the tornadoes, but areas south of I-72 were not so fortunate with damage to homes and injuries reported.
An outflow boundary from our morning storms struggled to get any further north than highway 136, which was about 30 miles south of what was anticipated early this morning. This kept the risk of strong tornadoes just south of our local region, though we still had plenty of rain and instances of large hail and gusty winds roll through central Illinois.
The worst of the wind came with the storms in the morning. As the severe storms moved through the area they produced measured gust of 60-70 mph with localized gusts estimated to be around 80 mph. The winds resulted in tree, powerline, and structural damage from Knox through McLean County.
Storm Reports
Galesburg – Tree and power line damage
Williamsfield – Roof partially torn off building
Princeville – Tree damage
Dunlap – 60 mph wind gust
Bellevue – 60 mph wind gust
Germantown Hills – Trees down
Roanoke – 60 mph wind gust
El Paso – Power poles snapped
El Paso – Multiple semis and campers rolled on I-39
Gidley – 70 mph wind gust
Chenoa – Semi rolled on I-55
Dunlap – 1.0″ size hail
Metamora – 1.0″ size hail
Armington – 1.0″ size hail
Rain reports
West Peoria – 4.37″
Lexington – 4.00″
West Peoria – 3.98″
Washington – 3.97″
East Peoria – 3.47″
Dunlap – 3.40″
Goodfield – 2.47″
Towanda – 2.43″
Peoria (PIA) – 2.24″
Lewistown – 2.20″
Galesburg – 1.84″
Chillicothe – 1.52″
Pontiac – 1.27″
Illinois
Thousands of Illinois residents report power outages amid storms
Historic tree dating back to Abraham Lincoln damaged in Springfield
It may be the last living tree standing when Abraham Lincoln and his family lived in the Springfield neighborhood from 1844 to 1861.
More than 30,000 Illinois residents reported power outages Wednesday morning amid severe storms and destructive winds.
The National Weather Service forecast two rounds of severe weather throughout the day, issuing a tornado watch early Wednesday morning across central Illinois.
Where were power outages reported in Illinois?
More than 35,000 of the more than 5.8 million customers tracked on PowerOutage.com reported outages Wednesday, as of noon.
The majority of these outages were concentrated in west-central Illinois in Warren, Henderson and Woodford counties.
More than 93% of the customers tracked in Henderson County and nearly 60% of those in Warren County were impacted by outages.
Less widespread outages were also reported in DeKalb, Mercer, Knox, Menard, Jefferson and Gallatin counties.
Electric service company Amaren was by far the most impacted utility provider, followed Commonwealth Edison Company and Corn Belt Energy Corporation.
Illinois power outage map
Report power outages in Illinois
Illinois residents can report power outages in their area at PowerOutage.com.
Illinois power outage tracker
To track where power outages have been reported and where they have been restored, follow the USA Today power outage tracker.
Chicago weather radar
Central Illinois weather radar
-
World8 minutes agoVideo: A Small Election Could Change British Politics
-
News11 minutes agoInside Trump’s Touring Exhibition of American Heroes
-
Politics16 minutes agoVideo: Erika Kirk’s Message for Women at Turning Point USA
-
Lifestyle46 minutes agoThe second life of a classic: ‘Amores Perros’ is remastered and back in theaters
-
Technology56 minutes agoValve is so behind on Steam Controller orders that some won’t ship until 2027
-
World1 hour agoFrom bear hugs to handshakes: How India lost its edge with Trump while Pakistan quietly gained ground
-
Politics1 hour agoNew poll reveals where Americans stand after Trump agreement with Iran
-
Health1 hour agoNo sex for 10 weeks? Championship team’s playoff strategy raises eyebrows


