Illinois Football at Oregon: Week 9 Late Weather Report and Game Conditions

Surprise! The weather in Eugene on Saturday seems to be taking a turn for ... the better

Starting Saturday, Oregon fans will no longer be able to leave Autzen Stadium at half-time and then be allowed back into the stadium. [2017 file photo/Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard] - registerguard.com / Andy Nelson/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“It never rains in Autzen Stadium.”

When the early Week 9 weather report was released on Tuesday, we told you in the most scientific terms we could muster that this was an inaccurate statement. (OK, we may have used the phrase "bald-faced lie.")

But as it turns out, maybe we were wrong. No, we don’t make the forecast, but look, the weatherman already gets enough stick. We'll take the heat on this one.

Touched down in Eugene. #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/MkATls0KgD

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 25, 2024

Eugene’s latest forecast predicts temps in the high 60s, with mostly cloudy skies. During the expected hours of game play, the highest chance for rain is only – gasp! – 17 percent.

Dare we call projected conditions for Saturday's game in Eugene to be enjoyable football weather? No guarantees, of course. Mother Nature has already changed her mind once, and who knows what sort of agrravation the Pacific Northwest might cause her between now and then?

As for wind, it’ll be a mild one, coming out of the southwest at a steady 10 mph throughout the duration of the action.

Illini fans headed out west may need to bundle up a bit, but it seems visitors will make a dry escape from the, uh, famously precipitation-free Autzen.

As for what will unfold on the field, the new forecast would seem to favor Illinois, which this season has been far more reliant on quarterback Luke Altmyer and the passing game than its rushing offense.

Then again, the deafening crowd noise at Autzen wlll be a problem for the Illini, rain or shine, and those clear conditions will be as good for the goose as they are for the gander, er, Ducks. (Note: Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel can really chuck it, too.)

In any case, in any of your friendly wagers, you've gotta now think long and hard about the over.

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