The Northwestern Wildcats have added the Illinois State Redbirds to their 2030 football schedule, according to an announcement from Illinois State University.
Northwestern will host Illinois State at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2030. The game will mark the third overall gridiron meeting between the two schools.
In their first meeting during the 2010 season, Northwestern defeated Illinois State, 37-3. Six seasons later, the Redbirds would even the series after hitting a game-winning field goal as time expired to shock the Wildcats, 9-7.
“Securing a future game against a respected in-state Big Ten program like Northwestern is great for our program,” ISU head coach Brock Spack said. “We have so many players every year from the Chicagoland area that we recruit and try to bring into the program, so the opportunity to play these kinds of games in front of their friends, teammates and families is huge. We always know we are going to get a great game when we face off against a Big Ten opponent, and the upcoming games with Illinois, Wisconsin and Northwestern will be no different. The 2016 victory at Northwestern was one of the most memorable in school history and Ryan Field was loud with Redbird fans and supporters, which we hope it will be again in 2030.”
Illinois State currently competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Redbirds advanced to the FCS Playoffs last season, defeating Southeast Missouri, 35-27, in the first round and falling to UC Davis, 42-10, in the second round. Illinois State finished the season 10-4 overall and 6-2 in conference action.
Northwestern now has three future games slated against FCS teams. In addition to Illinois State, the Wildcats will face Western Illinois in 2025 and South Dakota State in 2026.
Other FBS opponents on Illinois State’s future football schedules include Oklahoma in 2025, Northern Illinois in 2026, Missouri in 2027, Illinois in 2028, and Wisconsin in 2029.
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I really like Northwestern playing a cupcake opponent
Illinois playing a cupcake opponent
Michigan playing a cupcake opponent
&
CBS showing Big Ten team hosting a cupcake opponent at 3:30PM.
Nice in-state FBS-FCS matchup
Agreeable BYUfan