Mizzou, Illinois Shorten Future Football Schedule Agreement

Fans will have to wait another year to see the revival of the Missouri Tigers' rivalry against the Illinois Fighting Illini on the football field.

What was an originally an eight-game agreement between the two schools, set to begin in 2026, has been shortened to six games, Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman revealed in a press conference Thursday. The games scheduled in 2026 and 2032 have reportedly been cut from the agreement.

The agreement, signed in 2017, was originally scheduled to be just four games from 2026-2030. That was then extended to eight games in 2020.

The agreement was also first intended to be a home-home series, beginning at Illinois in 2026. But now, it could be a combination of home games for the two schools, mixed with neutral-site games, according to Whitman.

With the most-recent and possible upcoming expansions of the College Football Playoff field, there's debate amongst coaches whether or not teams vying for a playoff spot should schedule challenging non-conference opponents.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer was perhaps the most vocal of these concerns after the Gamecocks narrowly missed out on the first rendition of the 12-team format for the College Football Playoff.

"Is there anything to gain by playing some of these games out of conference?" Beamer said in a press conference. "Clearly, you can go through an entire season not beat a ranked team and be in the Playoff if you just win."

Illinois was set to play a difficult non-conference schedule in 2026, also scheduled to host Duke. If the agreement with Missouri was maintained in 2026, Illinois would be playing 11 Power Four opponents on the season, a schedule which Whitman believes isn't feasible.

Missouri might not have to replace the game on their schedule though, as the Southeastern Conference is considering adding a ninth conference game beginning in the 2026 season.

Under the program's current future scheduling, Missouri is only set to play four Power Four teams in its non-conference schedules over the next decade.

Missouri football has not faced Illinois since 2010. The two schools previously created agreements to play each other in St. Louis, first a two-year agreement in 2002 and 2003, then a four-year agreement beginning in 2007.

The Tigers currently lead the all-time series against the Illini 17-7. In the 2024 season, Illinois finished with double-digit wins for the first time since 2001.