Illinois & FAU set for afternoon kickoff

Illinois and FAU will meet for the first-time ever in the middle of the afternoon.

Officials announced Monday that the kickoff for the Sept. 23 game will be at 2:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

The matchup will be the Illini’s final non-conference game of the regular season, after splitting games with Toledo and Kansas the past two weeks.

Illinois welcomes No. 7 Penn State to town this Saturday in a game that can be seen on FOX.

In a scheduling quirk, Illinois and FAU will also play each other in men’s basketball this season in a game at Madison Square Garden.