With the Illini set to kick off yet another football season on Thursday, we decided to fire up the trusty XBox – specifically EA Sports' "College Football 27" – to learn whether the true-to-life video game could give us an early look at what Illinois' 2026 season may bring.No more waiting.It’s game week. pic.twitter.com/3Jzim2EGcl— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) August 31, 2026(Note: Rankings below are determined by the simulation and don't necessarily reflect current AP rankings.)Week 1: Illinois (0-0) vs. UAB (0-0)Illinois 23, UAB 17Illinois starts off the season with a bit of a stumble out of the gate, hanging on to sneak by a UAB team it should instead handle by at least a couple touchdowns.Week 2: Illinois (1-0) vs Duke (1-0)Illinois 38, Duke 36After struggling in Week 1, the Illini pick up a huge power conference win against the defending ACC champs.Week 3: Illinois (2-0) vs. Southern Illinois (0-2)Illinois 38, Southern Illinois 21The Illini open up a huge lead early and build on it to enter Big Ten play at a perfect 3-0.We love summer, but we’ve got the itch for football. pic.twitter.com/hRimWZGgd7— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) August 30, 2026Week 4: Illinois (3-0) at No. 1 Ohio State (3-0)Ohio State 24, Illinois 17 (2OT)Perfection wasn't meant to be for Illinois, but there’s no shame in taking top-ranked Ohio State to double overtime before falling 24-17.Week 5: Illinois (3-1) vs. Purdue (1-3)Purdue 41, Illinois 38In a shocker, the Illini fall to the lowly Boilermakers at home. If this comes to pass in real life, something will have gone very wrong in Champaign.Week 6: Illinois (3-2) at Michigan State (3-2)Illinois 21, Michigan State 13The Illini bounce back after two tough losses with a big road triumph in East Lansing.Week 7: ByeThe Illini check into their off week at 4-2 and in a decent spot to make a late playoff push, starting with a huge showdown against Oregon.Week 8: Illinois (4-2) vs. No. 19 Oregon (4-2)Oregon 31, Illinois 26Oregon's two early losses proved misleading, as the Ducks control this game for three quarters before holding off a furious Illinois comeback late.Details matter. pic.twitter.com/5YKen3C6IO— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) August 24, 2026Week 9: Illinois (4-3) at Maryland (3-4)Illinois 36, Maryland 35The Illini bounce back from a tough loss by heading east and pulling out a tight win against an underrated Terrapins squad.Week 10: Illinois (5-3) vs No. 5 Nebraska (7-1)Nebraska 52, Illinois 7The Illini run into a Cornhuskers squad firing on all cylinders, losing an important game in blowout fashion.Week 11: Illinois (5-4) at No. 20 UCLA (7-2)UCLA 31, Illinois 14Another Illini West Coast trip ends in embarrassment as the Bruins, who won all of three games in 2025, dominate in Los Angeles.Backfield business. pic.twitter.com/nDOhdw6ncN— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) August 18, 2026Week 12: Illinois (5-5) vs Iowa (4-6)Iowa 31, Illinois 7The Illini lose their third straight game to a middling Iowa squad as their bowl game hopes now hinge entirely on securing the Land of Lincoln Trophy.Week 13: Illinois (5-6) at Northwestern (7-4)Northwestern 31, Illinois 28The Illini are competitive but drop their final game in 2026, falling short of a postseason appearance.Illinois football's 2026 resultsRecord: 5-7Even for a pessimistic Illinois football fan, the virtual 2026 season above would rate as a massive disappointment. After a promising start, Illinois struggled to turn close games into wins and ultimately finished 5-7, missing a bowl game for the first time since 2023.For an Illinois program entering a transition year but that has seemingly reached new heights under coach Bret Bielema, a five-win season would represent a giant step backwards. For Illini Nation, the hope is simple: that EA Sports' newest college football title is a glitchy, unreliable predictor of things to come.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow