Illinois Football: Breaking Down the Weather Against Murray State

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Illinois football team will take the field at 2:30p.m. CT today under a blazing orange sun.

There is nothing like the first Saturday of college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, with tailgaters streaming in at 8a.m. and people firing up their grills.

The smell of grilling meat, the sounds of fans laughing and talking, chants of I-L-L…I-N-I ringing out, live music in Grange Grove. So exciting!

But there will be one thing missing from this ritual, and that is the hint of autumn in the air.

According to Accu Weather, it’s going to be about 80 humid degrees at kick-off and it should be a cloudless sky. That means it’ll be pleasantly warm for the fans, but a little hot for the players.

More from Writing Illini

What impact, if any, will this have on the Illini?

The players have been practicing in the heat and humidity of central Illinois for a few weeks, so they are used to it.

Still, the late summer heat and humidity of that region can wear you out quickly. So it depends on how the game goes.

If the Illini struggle against Murray State, expect to hear some discussion during the second half about how the heat is impacting the players.

However, I don’t think it’ll be an issue.

I think the Illini will control this game early, giving Coach Lovie Smith the opportunity to rotate players in and out, keeping a relatively well-hydrated and fresh team on the field. At least he’ll have that option.

And while ticket sales are high, let’s hope the warm weather brings more last minute fans out to cheer on the orange and blue.

It’s going to be a great day.

It’s going to be a great year.

Get on this bandwagon now because We Will Win!

I-L-L…

This article originally appeared on