#23 Illinois Hosts #21 USC for Homecoming

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – #23 Illinois welcomes #21 USC to Champaign on Saturday for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff on FOX. The Fighting Illini will host its annual Homecoming celebration, including the Homecoming parade on Friday night prior to Saturday's football game.

Illinois and USC will meet for the first time since the 2008 Rose Bowl Game following the 2007 season. USC will be making its first visit to Champaign since 1996.

Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (reporter) have the television broadcast on FOX. The Busey Bank Illini Sports Network has the radio call with Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), and Michael Martin (sideline).

Tickets are sold out. Visit SeatGeek, the official ticket marketplace of Illinois Athletics.

Big Noon Kickoff Headed to Illinois

FOX's Big Noon Kickoff pregame show is coming to Champaign for the first time ever on Saturday. The network's popular pregame show featuring Rob Stone; analysts Mark Ingram II, Matt Leinart, Urban Meyer, Brady Quinn; and Barstool's Dave Portnoy will air live from Grange Grove from 9-11 a.m. CT. Chris "The Bear" Fallica also provides analysis, in addition to insight and interviews from reporter Tom Rinaldi. 

FOX Big Noon Kickoff will be live from the south side of Grange Grove from 9 a.m. CT until approximately 10:15 a.m. CT before moving inside Gies Memorial Stadium for the remainder of the show. Big Noon Kickoff will be preceded by The Barstool College Football Show beginning at 8 a.m. CT at the same site.

Grange Grove will open at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday. Big Noon Kickoff's activations will open at 8 a.m. CT.

Admission to the Big Noon Kickoff area is free, and fans are encouraged to bring signs. FOX will be giving away game tickets, food, trucker hats, and other items. 

Homecoming: "Illinois, Where legends begin"

• Saturday's Fighting Illini football game vs. USC is the final activity in a week-long celebration of Illinois alumni returning to campus. Homecoming week at Illinois celebrates its 115th year of Illinois traditions.
• Friday's Homecoming parade begins at 6 p.m. at 4th and Kirby. A full calendar is available at homecoming.illinois.edu.
• The 2025 Homecoming Grand Marshal is REO Speedwagon.
• This year's Homecoming theme is: "Illinois, where legends begin"
• Illinois boasts being one of the first universities to celebrate Homecoming, a tradition on almost every college campus. It was conceived in 1909 by students C.F. Williams and W. Elmer Ekblaw, members of the Shield and Trident senior society. They joined with another society, Phoenix, to organize the three-day event. The first Homecoming celebrated on Illinois' campus was on Oct. 15, 1910, which the Illini won 3-0 over Chicago.

Press Conference

Notes

#23 Illinois Hosts #21 USC
• After a 3-1 start, Illinois hosts #21 USC for the Illini's first Big Ten home game of the season.
• Illinois and USC will meet for the first time since the 2008 Rose Bowl Game following the 2007 season. 
• USC will be making its first visit to Champaign since 1996.
• Illinois snapped a seven-game winning streak last week at Indiana, which was tied for the longest active winning streak in the nation with reigning national champion Ohio State and Memphis.

Illinois in the Rankings
• Illinois is ranked #23 both the AP Top 25 and the US LBM Coaches Poll.
• Last season, Illinois hosted Michigan in the Illini's first ranked-vs.-ranked matchup at home since 2000. Now, the Illini will play a ranked-vs.-ranked home game in back-to-back years for the first time since 1990-91.
• Illinois had its highest preseason ranking (#12) since 1990, when the Illini started #11 in the Preseason AP Top 25.
• Illinois' #12 preseason ranking is the ninth-highest in program history since the AP Preseason Poll began in 1950.
• Illinois was ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25 and the Preseason Coaches Poll for the first time since 2008.

Tough, Smart, Dependable
• Illinois is 10th in the nation and tied for third in the Big Ten in turnover margin (+5).
• Illinois has only one turnover this season, a fourth-quarter interception at Indiana. 
• Illinois has thrown only seven interceptions over the last two seasons (2024-25), tied with Army, James Madison, Missouri, and for the third-fewest in the nation over that span. Only  Marshall (5) and Vanderbilt (6) have thrown fewer interceptions than Illinois over the last two seasons.
• Illinois is 10-1 when it has committed zero or one turnover over the last two seasons (2024-25). The Illini's only loss during that stretch was at Indiana this season, when the Illini's fourth-quarter interception was their lone turnover.
• Illinois is 10-1 when it has forced one or more turnovers over the last two seasons (2024-25). The Illini's only loss during that stretch was at Oregon last season, when the Illini gained a fourth-quarter interception.

The Illinois Offense 
• QB Luke Altmyer is 15th in the nation and seventh in the Big Ten in passing efficiency (171.5). 
• Altmyer is one of three Big Ten quarterbacks with 8+ passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, along with Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (14/0) and USC's Jayden Maiava(9/0).
• Altmyer is 25th in the nation and eighth in the Big Ten in completion percentage (70.0).
• WR Hank Beatty is sixth in the Big Ten in receiving yards (302).
• Beatty is 19th in the nation and fifth Big Ten in all-purpose yards (488). 
• Illinois has scored 38 or more points in six of its last eight games dating back to last season.

The Illinois Defense
• Illinois is tied for the national lead in fumble recoveries (5) and tied for seventh in the nation in forced fumbles (4).
• Illinois is tied for 12th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in sacks (12.0).
• Preseason All-American OLB Gabe Jacas is tied for 13th in the nation and third in the Big Ten in sacs (3.5), while ranking tied for second in the nation in forced fumbles (2).

The Illinois Special Teams
• Hank Beatty ranks fifth in the nation in yards per punt return (25.0) and fifth in punt return yards (161).
• Keelan Crimmins ranks 15th in the nation and second in the Big Ten in yards per punt (46.2).