The Big Ten announced its list of 2016 Homecoming dates for 2016, and the new coaching staff at Illinois will have plenty of motivation when summer conditioning starts in a few weeks.
Illinois will serve as the proverbial Homecoming meal for four of its five Big Ten road games this fall: Nebraska on Oct. 1, Rutgers on Oct. 15, Michigan on Oct. 22 and Wisconsin on Nov. 12. Wisconsin moved its Homecoming to two weeks after the rest of the conference to pass over Nebraska for the Illini.
No other Big Ten team will serve as a Homecoming opponent more than twice this season.
The full slate:
Oct. 1
Northwestern at Iowa
Rutgers at Ohio State
Purdue at Maryland
Illinois at Nebraska
Oct. 8
Maryland at Penn State
Oct. 15
Iowa at Purdue
Illinois at Rutgers
Nebraska at Indiana
Northwestern at Michigan State
Oct. 22
Rutgers at Minnesota
Indiana at Northwestern
Illinois at Michigan
Oct. 29
Minnesota at Illinois
Nov. 12
Illinois at Wisconsin
Illinois is looking to improve under new head coach Lovie Smith after finishing 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten last fall.