Duke will look to get revenge for a second week in a row against an opponent it lost to a year ago. Coming off last week's 17-3 win over Tulane, the Blue Devils hit the road in Week 2 to face Illinois in Champaign, looking to avenge last season's blowout loss at home.
Illinois waltzed into Wallace Wade Stadium a year ago and thumped the Blue Devils 45-19. A lot has changed since then, with Illinois losing significant pieces from last season's team and expectations tempered for the 2026 Illini.
Duke also had tempered expectations this year despite capturing the ACC Championship in 2025 with an obvious downgrade at the QB position. Walker Eget struggled in his first Duke start, but Nate Sheppard showed last season's 1100 yard campaign was far from a fluke with a career-high rushing day against the Green Wave.
Can he do it again? That might be what it takes for the Blue Devils to pull out a mini-upset on the road.
How to watch Duke at Illinois in Week 2
- Date: Saturday, September 12th
- Time: 3:30 pm E.T.
- Venue: Gies Memorial Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): FS1
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Duke record: 1-0
- Illinois record: 1-0
What are the betting odds for Duke vs. Illinois?
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Spread: Duke +5.5
Over/Under: 53.5
Moneyline: Duke +188/Illinois -230
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Injury report for Duke and Illinois
Duke:
- WR Javen Nicholas - Questionable
- OL Roman Fina - Out for Season
Illinois:
- LB Daniel Brown – Questionable
- WR Jayshon Platt – Out
- RG Brandon Henderson - Out 2-4 Weeks
- WR Alex Perry - Out for Season
- TE BJ Thurman - Out for Season
- TE Grant Smith - Out for Season
Illinois injury report courtesy of our friends over at Writing Illini.
Who are the announcers for Duke vs. Illinois?
On the FS1 broadcast, Jack Kizer will be on the call as the play-by-play guy, and Mark Helfrich will be the analyst. Helfrich was Oregon's head coach from 2013-2016.
What will the weather be like for Duke football on Saturday?
It'll be a cloudy and humid day in Champaign on Saturday with forecasts calling for temps in the low 80s with the heat index approaching 90. There are some inclement weather concerns and a 55% chance of rain in the forecast as of now. Something to monitor as Duke could be in for a second consecutive week of a kickoff delay.
Duke vs. Illinois series history
This will only be the fourth meeting in history between the two programs, and Duke will look to even up the all-time series. Illinois has won two of the previous three meetings, including last season's rout in Durham. Here is the matchup history between the two programs:
- 1958 (Durham): Duke 15, Illinois 13
- 1965 (Champaign): Illinois 28, Duke 14
- 2025 (Durham): Illinois 45, Duke 19
Add us as a preferred source on Google