Big Ten announces Penn State’s Week 9 Champions Week matchup vs. Illinois. Here’s what to expect
Penn State will take on Illinois at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Beaver Stadium for its Week 9 Champions Week matchup — a Big Ten East-West crossover game — the Big Ten announced Sunday afternoon. The game will air on FS1.
Illinois is 2-5 after a 28-10 road loss to Northwestern on Saturday. Before the Fighting Illini fell to the Wildcats, they had losses to Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota and Iowa, as well as wins over Rutgers and Nebraska.
The program also fired head coach Lovie Smith on Sunday. In his five seasons at the helm, Smith posted a 17-39 record. Offensive coordinator Rod Smith will be the interim head coach for the Fighting Illini’s game against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State opened its season with a program-worst 0-5 start before it turned things around in Week 6 with a 27-17 win over Michigan, followed by a 23-7 win against Rutgers last week and a 39-24 win against Michigan State on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions own the all-time series lead over the Fighting Illini 19-5, and Penn State has won the last two matchups.
In 2018 — the last time these two teams met — Penn State beat Illinois 63-24 in Champaign, Illinois, for its fourth consecutive win of the season.
The contest with Illinois will round out the regular season for Penn State, and the Nittany Lions will then have to wait to see if they earn a bowl bid.
