Wk 1 · 2026
UAB Blazers at Illinois Fighting Illini — Thu, Sep 3
Thu, Sep 3 ·
Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
· BTN FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
9:00pET
ILL -25.5 · total 54.5 DraftKings opened -28.5 · 3 toward UAB
Ratings differential ILL by 21.1
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
UAB form
L 13-38at MEMW 33-14vs SAMW 24-20vs NAVYL 14-21at ULW 26-20vs ULM
2026 season
Illinois form
W 38-37at MSUL 17-24vs PURL 19-42at OSUW 48-10vs SIUL 27-31vs DUKE
2026 season
UAB this season
Straight up3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Against the spread2-3-1 · 40% (6 games)
Over / under1-5 · 17% (6 games)
Illinois this season
Straight up3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Against the spread2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Over / under5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 0
These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Illinois leads 1–0 · Illinois won the last one
1 meeting
in 2006–2026 · average margin
19.0 points toward Illinois
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-03 | UAB 23 — 42 Illinois | at ILL | Illinois |
UAB leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Ryder Burton QB #5 | 62/110, 791 YDS, 4 TD, 4 INT |
| Nate Rogers QB #16 | 1/2, 13 YDS | |
| Rushing | Roderick Robinson II RB #2 | 74 CAR, 338 YDS |
| Bam McReynolds RB #3 | 54 CAR, 260 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Ja'Vin Simpkins RB #7 | 27 CAR, 108 YDS | |
| Receiving | CJ Smith WR #1 | 10 REC, 223 YDS, 1 TD |
| Ty Mims WR #0 | 14 REC, 223 YDS, 1 TD | |
| EJ Reid WR #4 | 16 REC, 140 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Scott Isacks TE #44 | 5 REC, 46 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Muaaz Byard LB #35 | 48 |
| Ike Esonwune LB #3 | 37 | |
| Jeremiah Jordan DB #13 | 31 | |
| Sacks | Marlin Dean LB #4 | 5 |
| Tylin Jackson DL #17 | 3 | |
| Jo'Tavion Pierce DB #0 | 2.5 | |
| Interceptions | Ike Esonwune LB #3 | 2 |
| Jeremiah Jordan DB #13 | 1 | |
| Delvon Gulley CB #5 | 1 |
Illinois leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Katin Houser QB #4 | 102/155, 1246 YDS, 11 TD, 3 INT |
| Rushing | Aidan Laughery RB #21 | 45 CAR, 321 YDS, 1 TD |
| Ca'Lil Valentine RB #5 | 50 CAR, 225 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Katin Houser QB #4 | 25 CAR, 106 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Collin Dixon WR #17 | 40 REC, 546 YDS, 8 TD |
| Hudson Clement WR #13 | 21 REC, 299 YDS | |
| Ty Robinson WR #10 | 11 REC, 159 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Brayden Trimble WR #11 | 15 REC, 116 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Matthew Bailey DB #7 | 37 |
| Ismael Kante LB #26 | 29 | |
| Juice Clarke DB #6 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Will Holmes DL #24 | 1 |
| Ean Rhea LB #40 | 1 | |
| Joe Barna DL #43 | 0.5 | |
| Interceptions | Matthew Bailey DB #7 | 1 |
| Ismael Kante LB #26 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.