Big Ten Matchups

Illinois vs Colorado

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Colorado Buffaloes

Who wins Illinois vs Colorado?

Tap your pick, it saves on this device.

Head-to-head on record

Illinois vs Colorado series
TeamWinsSeries
Illinois Fighting Illini1Series level
Colorado Buffaloes1

Meetings since 1989: 2. Source: CollegeFootballData game log.

The series in numbers

1-1 Regular season
1-1 Last 2
15-30 Avg score
1 Longest Illinois win run

Biggest Illinois win 23-22 in 1990, a 1-point margin.

Biggest Illinois loss 7-38 in 1989, a 31-point margin.

Every Illinois vs Colorado meeting

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Colorado Buffaloes, every meeting on record
SeasonResultSiteScore
1990 Illinois win Champaign 23-22
1989 Colorado win Boulder 7-38

Scores from the Illinois perspective. Source: CollegeFootballData game log, since 1989.

Matchup stats

Last five games

ColoradoProvided by big12.co

DateOppResult
10-03 vsTTU L 7-29
09-26 atBAY L 13-23
09-19 atNU L 7-41
09-12 vsWEB W 52-21
09-03 atGT W 14-13

Illinois

DateOppResult
10-03 vsPUR L 17-24
09-26 atOSU L 19-42
09-19 vsSIU W 48-10
09-12 vsDUKE L 27-31
09-03 vsUAB W 42-23

Completed results from CollegeFootballData via the CFB Data Hub

2026 standings

Big 12Provided by big12.co

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Utah 400 1.00017341
Texas Tech 500 1.00017481
BYU 400 1.00014957
Houston 410 .80020599
Baylor 410 .80017471
Arizona 410 .80016283
Cincinnati 410 .800169116
Kansas State 310 .75016261
Oklahoma State 310 .75014979
UCF 320 .60016288
Iowa State 320 .600168106
West Virginia 320 .600187144
Kansas 220 .50014468
Arizona State 220 .500133127
TCU 230 .40012767
Colorado 230 .40093127

Big Ten

TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Indiana 500 1.00022154
Nebraska 500 1.00021871
UCLA 400 1.00017975
USC 510 .833224153
Ohio State 410 .80021163
Iowa 410 .80014563
Wisconsin 410 .80015883
Minnesota 410 .80016090
Oregon 310 .75019093
Northwestern 310 .75013267
Penn State 320 .60016080
Washington 320 .60013392
Michigan 320 .60011579
Illinois 230 .400153130
Maryland 230 .400152151
Purdue 230 .400152175
Michigan State 230 .40091116
Rutgers 140 .200150161

Records computed from completed games this season

The series since 1989 is level at 1-1. Here is the series on record and how to watch when Illinois and Colorado meet.

How to watch Illinois vs Colorado

When Illinois and Colorado are scheduled, here is how to find the game.

  1. National TV National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1).
  2. Streaming ESPN+ and the FOX Sports app stream the national windows.
  3. Radio Listen on the Illinois radio network.
  4. Confirm kickoff Kickoff and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week. Check the match center for the Illinois vs Colorado time and line.

The live time, line and how-to-watch details land on the match center and how to watch pages once the game is scheduled.

The Illinois this season

Follow Illinois in the title race on the Big Ten standings, and model the finish with the title race calculator. For the conference series that define the year, see the Big Ten rivalry pages, or browse every Big Ten matchup.

About the author and reviewer

Written by

The BIG10.CO Desk

Conference Newsroom · Independent Big Ten coverage since 2026

The house desk of BIG10.CO - independent researchers tracking every Big Ten game, stat and storyline.

Fact-checked by

BIG10.CO Coverage Review

Fact & Data Review · Primary-source verification

Every stat and historical claim on data pages is checked against official box scores and the live feed before publication.

Independence: BIG10.CO was not paid by any school, network or sportsbook for this page. Corrections are logged in our editorial policy.

Illinois vs Colorado: the essentials

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Colorado Buffaloes is a non-conference matchup that sets the Big Ten against the Big 12 (Power 4). The series since 1989 is level at 1-1. Across 2 meetings on record the series is level, and whenever the two programs are scheduled this page carries the Illinois vs Colorado head-to-head record, the matchup numbers for both sides, and how to watch on TV and streaming. It sits alongside the Illinois Fighting Illini team hub, the Big Ten this week round-up and the live conference standings. For Colorado against the whole conference, see Colorado vs the Big Ten.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the all-time record between Illinois and Colorado?

The series since 1989 is level at 1-1. The two programs have met 2 times on record.

How can I watch Illinois vs Colorado?

National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1). Kickoff time and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week.

Are Illinois and Colorado in the same conference?

No. Illinois plays in the Big Ten. Colorado plays in the Big 12 (Power 4). This is a non-conference game.