As we all know, the Illini are about to start a highly anticipated football season. The first test will come against the Wyoming Cowboys on August 27th.

In honor of this game, let’s throw it back to the last time the football team started the season against a non-conference opponent, which was 2019.

Illinois vs Akron: 2019

The day is August 31, 2019 and everyone is excited to see the Illini start a new football season after a rough 2018 season, when the team finished with a 4-8 record. The Akron Zips of the Mid-American Conference are in town for this week 1 matchup.