Michigan vs Illinois is a game that I have been fortunate to have attended quite a few times, living in Illinois about two and a half hours north of Champaign for most of my life. Although Michigan has dominated the series overall, it has brought us some phenomenal matchups throughout the years. Let's dig into the numbers, one memorable matchup, and look at what the future holds for these two teams.
All-time series: Michigan leads 72-24-2
Most recent meeting: Illinois won 21-7 in 2024
First meeting: Michigan won 12-5 in 1898
Largest margin of victory: Michigan 57-0 in 1969, Illinois three tied 25 point margin of victory in 1924, 2008 and 2009.
Favorite game from the series: Michigan 30, Illinois 19 in 2004
The 5-1 Michigan Wolverines traveled to Champaign on October 16th, 2004 to take on the 2-4 Illinois Fighting Illini. The Illini had upset on their mind on this windy day. Michigan was led by Braylon Edwards at receiver, Ernest Shazor and Marlin Jackson on defense and a pair of freshman at quarterback and running back in Chad Henne and Michael Hart. This game would end up being a breakout game for Michael Hart.
It was clear from the beginning that Michael Hart was a special running back but this game really put that on full display. He finished the game with 40 carries for 234 yards and a touchdown. Brett Musberger made a point on the broadcast that was absolutely spot on when he said Hart's best quality was the ability to gain yards after contact. Hart continuously broke tackle after tackle en route to picking up more yards. It was one of the most impressive running back performances I have ever witnessed.
Future outlook
The next scheduled matchup in this series will come in 2027 and nothing is scheduled between the two after that yet. Illinois will be coming into this next season with some lofty expectations after Luke Altmyer deciding to return at quarterback.
Michigan also has some lofty expectations as well with the addition of true freshman Bryce Underwood. It will be interesting to see how Illinois plays after having one of their better seasons in recent memory and how Michigan responds after having somewhat of a down year last year (as down as it can be while still beating the Buckeyes).