Venue & Game Info
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET
Location: Gies Memorial Stadium (formerly Memorial Stadium), Champaign, Illinois
Broadcast: FS1 Streaming: FOX Sports App
Attendance: Sellout crowd expected (60,670) — first game under the stadium’s new name following a $100M donation from alumnus Larry Gies
Weather Outlook
Forecast: Mostly clear skies, light winds (4–6 mph)
Temperature at Kickoff: ~78°F, dropping into the upper 60s by the 4th quarter
Impact: Ideal offensive conditions; no weather-related handicapping adjustments
Injury & Availability Report
Illinois:
No major starters ruled out
WR/Punt Returner Hank Beatty healthy — leads nation with 394 all-purpose yards
OL unit intact; focus on improving pass protection after early-season pressure issues
Western Michigan:
QB competition ongoing between Broc Lowry and Brady Jones — Lowry trending toward QB1 after 3 total TDs vs. North Texas
RB Jalen Buckley (2024 MAC Freshman of the Year) healthy — 112 rush yds on 30 carries last week
No confirmed absences for key defensive starters
Recent Form
Illinois:
W 50–3 vs. Western Illinois — dominant in all phases, +3 turnover margin
W 45–19 at Duke — slow start, but 28 unanswered points in 2nd half
Western Michigan:
L 33–30 (OT) vs. North Texas — gritty effort, but penalties and missed opportunities late
L 31–10 at Michigan State — strong first quarter, but offense stalled
Series History
All-Time: Illinois leads 1–0
Last Meeting: 2016 — Western Michigan upset Illinois 34–10 in Champaign (P.J. Fleck era)
Note: First meeting since WMU joined MAC full-time in 1998
Betting Trends
Illinois: 2–0 ATS in 2025; 6-game win streak dating to 2024
Western Michigan: 2–0 ATS in 2025 despite 0–2 SU start
Totals: Over in 1 of last 2 Illinois games; WMU 1–1 O/U
Game Odds
Western Michigan Broncos 50.5
Illinois Fighting Illini – 27.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Friday, September 12, 2025
