Illinois
Illinois is 6-3 and No. 42 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 7.4 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 24-13 vs Nebraska in Week 10.
Week 11: at UCLA, Friday, Nov 13: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Illinois is No. 42
- Illinois's rating is 7.4: the machine's estimate that Illinois is 7.4 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 42 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 6.3, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 1.1.
- The biggest weekly moves: +2.5 after Week 8 (W 21-10 vs Oregon) and −1.9 after Week 5 (L 17-24 vs Purdue).
- Its record is 6-3. The 3 losses were to No. 7 Ohio State, No. 28 Duke, No. 63 Purdue, by 11.3 points on average. The 6 wins came by 13.8 points on average; the best was over No. 13 Oregon. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 47 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 41 Clemson (7.9); just below is No. 43 TCU (7.3).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Bret Bielema is in his 6th season at Illinois (since 2021). This season: 6-3. At Illinois overall: 43-29, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 180-281 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2132 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 20-5 |
| Yards per attempt* | 7.6No. 63 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 11.3%No. 48 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 3.4%No. 22 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 280-1398 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 5.0No. 30 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 12.0%No. 108 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 15.4%No. 40 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 28.4No. 68 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.31No. 37 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 45.9%No. 26 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 65.4%No. 46 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 6No. 11 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 23.0No. 54 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.83No. 92 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.5No. 94 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.0No. 65 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 2.3%No. 135 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 6No. 133 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 42.0%No. 108 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Katin Houser162-252, 1955 yds, 16 TD, 5 INT
- Michael Clayton II17-26, 172 yds, 4 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Aidan Laughery100 carries, 615 yds, 2 TD
- Ca'Lil Valentine50 carries, 225 yds, 1 TD
- Jordan Anderson45 carries, 199 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
- Collin Dixon67 catches, 905 yds, 12 TD
- Hudson Clement37 catches, 540 yds, 1 TD
- Brayden Trimble23 catches, 203 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Matthew Bailey66
- James Kreutz60
- Ismael Kante55
Sacks
- Ean Rhea2
- Daniel Brown1.5
- William Holmes1.5
Interceptions
- Ismael Kante1
- Matthew Bailey1
- Tanner Heckel1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Katin HouserMost passes in the last game8 games252 attempts90%
- Michael Clayton II2 games26 attempts9%
Carrying
- Aidan Laughery9 games100 carries43%
- Ca'Lil Valentine5 games50 carries22%
- Jordan Anderson8 games45 carries19%
- Javari Barnett6 games27 carries12%
Catching
- Collin Dixon9 games67 catches37%
- Hudson Clement8 games37 catches21%
- Brayden Trimble9 games23 catches13%
- Ty Robinson7 games13 catches7%
Tackling
- Matthew Bailey9 games66 tackles12%
- James Kreutz9 games60 tackles11%
- Ismael Kante9 games55 tackles10%
- Jaheim Clarke9 games47 tackles8%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 42–23 vs UAB. The passing game was the strength: 10.7 yards an attempt, 5.2 more than UAB usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 2 L 27–31 vs Duke. The pass defense gave ground: Duke got 9.7 yards an attempt, 2.8 over what it usually gains.
- Week 3 W 48–10 vs Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 4 L 19–42 at Ohio State. The run game was the strength: 6.0 yards a carry, 3.1 more than Ohio State usually allows. Its most yards a carry of the season.
- Week 5 L 17–24 vs Purdue. The passing game struggled: 5.9 yards an attempt, 3.2 less than Purdue usually allows. The machine had Illinois by 9.6 (73%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 6 W 38–37 at Michigan State. The run defense gave ground: Michigan State got 4.7 yards a carry, 1.8 over what it usually gains. The machine had Michigan State by 1.6 (55%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 8 W 21–10 vs Oregon. The run game was the strength: 5.8 yards a carry, 2.2 more than Oregon usually allows. The machine had Oregon by 10.4 (74%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 9 W 20–17 at Maryland. The run game was the strength: 5.6 yards a carry, 1.3 more than Maryland usually allows.
- Week 10 W 24–13 vs Nebraska. The passing game was the strength: 8.1 yards an attempt, 2.2 more than Nebraska usually allows. The machine had Nebraska by 5.8 (64%), so this was a win it did not see coming.