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Illinois vs. Michigan: Early Week 8 Weather Report and Game Conditions

The circumstances appear to be right for another fan-friendly track meet at Memorial Stadium

Jason Langendorf

Oct 12, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini band performs before the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Illinois Fighting Illini band performs before the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
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Under the circumstances, anyone and everyone associated with Saturday's game in Champaign, where No. 22 Illinois will host No. 24 Michigan in a pivotal matchup for both teams, should be pleased with game-day conditions at Memorial Stadium (2:30 p.m., CBS).

The temperature is projected to dip into the low 30s Wednesday night in Champaign, but by Saturday afternoon, Memorial Stadium should be an idyllic setting for a college football game: sunny, with a high of 73 degrees and a light breeze of 6 mph out of the south.

If you're a fan who has sat through Illinois football games on the aluminum-and-concrete bleachers in blistering heat or with the wind howling unencumbered across half-empty sections for a late-November game, the weather at Memorial Stadium for the UM game should be the stuff of dreams.

As should it be for quarterback Luke Altmyer and the Illini passing attack. After Altmyer's career day against Purdue in Week 7, he, receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, and the Illinois offensive line will be expected to do the heavy lifting against a Wolverines defense that ranks third in the nation against the run (76.3 yards allowed per game).

Warm temps, no precipitation and minimal wind is more than Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. could have hoped for in this meeting. Given the conditions – on the Doppler radar and across both ball clubs – we could be in line for a second consecutive shootout on Zuppke Field.

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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf is a longtime journalist who has covered football and basketball, among other sports, for ESPN, Sporting News, the Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other publications.

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