The Delaware Blue Hens will play at the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2027, the school announced on Wednesday.
Delaware will travel to take on Illinois at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2027. The game will mark the first-ever football meeting between the two schools.
Delaware was previously scheduled to visit the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sept. 11, 2027. However, that contest has been mutually canceled, per the announcement from Delaware. The Delaware-Penn State game was scheduled back in 2018 when Delaware was a member of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Other non-conference contests for Delaware in 2027 include the season-opener against LIU at home on Thursday, Sept. 2, a home contest against James Madison on Sept. 18, and a trip to face UConn on Nov. 27.
With the addition of Delaware, Illinois now has all three of its non-conference opponents set for the 2027 season, barring any additional changes. The Fighting Illini are also scheduled to host Eastern Illinois and face Missouri at a neutral site, both on dates to be determined.
Illinois’ game against Eastern Illinois was previously scheduled for Aug. 28, but Eastern Illinois has since signed a contract to face Murray State that weekend instead.
Football Schedules
