In what is quickly becoming a national holiday for sports nerds, especially myself, EA Sports College Football ‘26 was released on Monday.
Me whenever CFB drops
Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images
The game made its long-awaited return to glory last year, and it’s back yet again.
Thankfully, this year’s version is a lot kinder to Illinois than last year’s.
Illinois is rated as the No. 25 overall team, but when you load into dynasty, they begin the season ranked No. 10.
Not too shabby for Bret Bielema & Co.
Gabe Jacas and Xavier Scott are the two highest-rated Illini in the game, with Jacas at a 92 and Scott at a 90. Quarterback Luke Altmyer checks in at an 89.
I’m going to give a quick breakdown of notable stats for each game. If you’d rather skip ahead, scroll to the bottom for end-of-season stats and results.
So, let’s dive into the game-by-game predictions for the 2025–26 season.
Week 1: No. 10 Illinois def. Western Illinois 66-14
Luke Altmyer had a day throwing for 403 yards and 5 touchdowns. Aidan Laughery got it done on the ground with 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Collin Dixon had a breakout performance with 8 catches for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns.
An easy victory for Illinois over Western Illinois (FCS Midwest) week one.
Week 2: No. 7 Illinois def. Duke 30-20
Keelan Crimmins legacy game. His three punts pinned inside the 20 helped the Illinois defense hold Darian Mensah and Duke to just 20 points. Aidan Laughery and Collin Dixon both went for over 100 yards again, but Altmyer struggled mightily throwing two interceptions and only completing 34% of his passes.
Gabe Jacas and Leon Lowery both had two sacks apiece and Dylan Rosiek and Kaleb Patterson picked…
Source link : https://www.thechampaignroom.com/2025/7/8/24464040/ea-sports-college-football-26-predicts-illinois-season-cfb-cfp-playoff-illini-jacas-scott-altmyer
Author :
Publish date : 2025-07-09 04:14:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
