Future Schedules

#4      
Mr. Tibbs
GatorMcKlusky said:
Hope this means we've come to our senses and are pulling out of the Mizzou series!
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I agree we need to cancel that , but obviously nothing in that announcement indicates that .

but they may very well be waiting to announce cancelling the Mizzou series until a new G5 foe is arranged to take their place
 
#7      
Mr. Tibbs
Fighter of the Nightman said:
(And schedule it again if we get good...)
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I liked your comment but its a BIG IF

with the league at 18 now, and likely going to 20 in the next couple years or so , it will mean two MORE really good programs joining,
with the likelihood then of playing FIVE top 20 ranked teams every year

we need 3 non cons we can beat
and I still think the day is coming when we play 10 conferences games if the SEC and Big12 also agree.

the network just isnt paying to see all these non cons vs FCS & lower level G5 teams
 
#9      
Mr. Tibbs
meh

our record playing at Soldier Field is horrendous . and we really don’t draw extremely well there either .
 
#10      
Fighter of the Nightman
OrangeBlue98 said:
If we get good, I'd like a 3-4 year series. One year in Champaign, one year in Columbia, one year in St. Louis. Maybe add a fourth year at Soldier Field.
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In my dream world, I would prefer a 4-year series like this. Champaign, St. Louis, Columbia, St. Louis. I know a lot of fans have very legitimate complaints against (A) ever giving up a home game, (B) playing in what is now a pretty outdated dome in St. Louis or (C) playing in a baseball stadium like Busch. However, I have now had the pleasure of attending Braggin' Rights twice, and I can honestly say that atmosphere is truly special. The only other examples I can even think of in the entire college sports world right now are Texas/Oklahoma in Dallas and Florida/Georgia in Jacksonville. Those are iconic events that none of those programs is looking to get out of for a generic home-and-home because they realize the value that exposure and tradition brings to each side.

I get the hate for overplayed neutral site games, but there is a HUGE difference between randomly having USC and LSU play in Vegas for a cash grab rather than at either iconic stadium and a 50/50 split crowd rivalry game in a city that is arguably a "battleground" for both fan bases involved. An annual Illini/Mizzou series at Busch Stadium in week 2 or week 3 (I think STARTING with this on Labor Day was sort of a disaster...) could turn into quite a hit. Ballpark Village would be a truly special scene before and after the game. It's easy to forget this now because we lost all of the games, but when the Arch Rivalry series first started in St. Louis, it was genuinely some awesome exposure for our program every year. Nationally televised rivalry game that emphasized to the college football world that Illinois football played regularly in a relevant rivalry.

Maybe there just is no way to replicate Braggin' Rights for football for a variety of factors ... I'm sympathetic to that argument, honestly, and I'd settle for home-and-home. However, I'm optimistic and maybe naïve enough to try, because who wouldn't want a Texas/Oklahoma or Florida/Georgia style party to attend every year if we actually felt like we had a program capable of winning 50% of those big games??
 
#11      
EyeoftheIllini
I’m not sure how many hold on to the notion that Illinois isn’t a basketball school first and foremost, but the call to cancel the Missouri series in football pretty much seals it I think. Marquee matchups in bball are celebrated and greatly anticipated. That was still the case during the Groce and early BU years. In football, not so much it appears. And yes, I understand the implications on postseason play are much greater in football not to mention potential impact on recruiting. Still sad to me.
 
#12      
Illini in Italy
EyeoftheIllini said:
I’m not sure how many hold on to the notion that Illinois isn’t a basketball school first and foremost, but the call to cancel the Missouri series in football pretty much seals it I think. Marquee matchups in bball are celebrated and greatly anticipated. That was still the case during the Groce and early BU years. In football, not so much it appears. And yes, I understand the implications on postseason play are much greater in football not to mention potential impact on recruiting. Still sad to me.
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I've been hating on MIZNOZ since they ruined our perfect season back in '83. Well, there was the Rose Bowl beat down after that, but in my little world if we'd beating MIZNOZ we would have beat UCLA. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

Golden Girls Rose GIF by TV Land
 
#13      
Mr. Tibbs
EyeoftheIllini said:
I’m not sure how many hold on to the notion that Illinois isn’t a basketball school first and foremost, but the call to cancel the Missouri series in football pretty much seals it I think. Marquee matchups in bball are celebrated and greatly anticipated. That was still the case during the Groce and early BU years. In football, not so much it appears. And yes, I understand the implications on postseason play are much greater in football not to mention potential impact on recruiting. Still sad to me.
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it’s 100% about giving the team a decent chance to win at least 6 games .
with the tough conference schedule every year , playing a SEC team in the non-con that historically beats us , is a huge mistake .

we are more than a few years away from getting into that arrangement , if ever .
too many undecided factored with future expansion right now
 
#14      
Dan
I'm fine with the Missouri series, just have issue with the 1-year overlap in 2026 with the conclusion of the Duke series & the start of the Missouri series. Imho, Illinois Football doesn't need to be playing multiple power non-conference teams in a single regular season ever again.

Anyways, I found the official Future Schedules page on fightingillini.com, it appears to be up-to-date fyi-
https://fightingillini.com/sports/2015/6/24/football_futureschedules.aspx
fightingillini.com

Football Future Schedules

Football Future Schedules
fightingillini.com fightingillini.com

Brief history of current/future power non-conference series-

Kansas series (away 2023, home 2024) - announced in January 2014, setup by former AD Mike Thomas.

Duke series (away 2025, home 2026) - announced in June 2015, setup by former AD Mike Thomas.

Missouri 4-game series (home 2026 & 2028, away 2027 & 2029) - announced in November 2017, setup by AD Josh Whitman.

Missouri 4-game extension (home 2032 & 2034, away 2033 & 2035) - announced in March 2020, setup by AD Josh Whitman.
 
#15      
mhuml32
Dan said:
I'm fine with the Missouri series, just have issue with the 1-year overlap in 2026 with the conclusion of the Duke series & the start of the Missouri series.
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Bingo. This has been a known problem for a long time. Just work with Duke to postpone that home game until 2030. I'm sure Duke would be very content with that, they can schedule another home game for Diaz's third season.
 
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