Illinois is closing in on the start of its football season, and College Football 27 has already taken a swing at what 2026 might look like for the Illini.
The video game’s simulation landed on a season that feels almost tailor-made for Illinois: plenty of wins, a strong finish, and just enough frustration to leave the College Football Playoff just out of reach. In the game, Illinois went 9-3 overall and 6-3 in the Big Ten, good for a No. 13 national ranking but not enough to make the field.
The twist was painfully familiar. The game that shut the door on the playoff was a 21-16 loss to a 2-10 Purdue team in Champaign. After that, Illinois still finished on a roll, winning its final five games to close the year at 9-3.
That kind of outcome would still be a solid step for Bret Bielema’s team, especially with Luke Altmyer gone for the first time in three years. Illinois has 19 wins over the last two seasons, and the roster still looks strong heading into the new year.
College Football 27 also gave the Illini some eye-catching individual performances.
Katin Houser was the headliner, throwing for a program-record 3,940 yards in the simulation. He completed 63% of his passes, while also piling up 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Ca’Lil Valentine topped 1,000 rushing yards with 1,025, and the passing game spread the ball around in a big way. Five different Illinois players finished with more than 550 receiving yards, including Kaden Feagin, who posted 51 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns.
There were big numbers on the defensive side, too. Grant Beerman led the team with 102 tackles, while Darrell Prater paced Illinois with 9.0 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
The secondary made its mark as well. Matthew Bailey and Xavier Scott each came away with four interceptions, and Juice Clarke added three.
When the simulation ended, only two Illini were projected to hear their names called in the NFL Draft. Bailey was the first, going in the fourth round, while Scott followed in the sixth.
No one is putting real stock into a video game prediction, but as far as imaginary seasons go, this one gave Illinois a lot to like. The record, the production, and the late push would all be easy to take. The only thing missing was the playoff berth.
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