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ACC Matchups
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| Team | Wins | Series |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Illinois leads | |
| 7 |
Meetings since 1955: 11. Source: CollegeFootballData game log.
California has won the last 3 meetings.
Biggest California win 31-14 in 1974, a 17-point margin.
Biggest California loss 17-44 in 2001, a 27-point margin.
| Season | Result | Site | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 * | California win | Neutral | 35-20 |
| 2005 | California win | Berkeley | 35-20 |
| 2003 | California win | Champaign | 31-24 |
| 2001 | Illinois win | Berkeley | 17-44 |
| 2000 | Illinois win | Champaign | 15-17 |
| 1974 | California win | Champaign | 31-14 |
| 1973 | Illinois win | Berkeley | 7-27 |
| 1964 | Illinois win | Berkeley | 14-20 |
| 1963 | Illinois win | Champaign | 0-10 |
| 1956 | Illinois win | Champaign | 20-32 |
| 1955 | Illinois win | Berkeley | 13-20 |
* postseason meeting. Scores from the California perspective. Source: CollegeFootballData game log, since 1955.
Illinois Fighting Illini lead the series since 1955, 7-4. Here is the series on record and how to watch when California and Illinois meet.
When California and Illinois are scheduled, here is how to find the game.
The live time, line and how-to-watch details land on the match center and how to watch pages once the game is scheduled.
Follow California in the title race on the ACC standings, and model the finish with the title race calculator. For the conference series that define the year, see the ACC rivalry pages, or browse every ACC matchup.
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Conference Newsroom · Independent ACC coverage since 2026
The house desk of ACCFOOTBALL.CO - independent researchers tracking every ACC game, stat and storyline.
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California Golden Bears vs Illinois Fighting Illini is a non-conference matchup that sets the ACC against the Big Ten (Power 4). Illinois Fighting Illini lead the series since 1955, 7-4. Across 11 meetings on record the series is one-sided so far, and whenever the two programs are scheduled this page carries the California vs Illinois head-to-head record, the matchup numbers for both sides, and how to watch on TV and streaming. It sits alongside the California Golden Bears team hub, the ACC this week round-up and the live conference standings. For Illinois against the whole conference, see Illinois vs the ACC.
The ACC Report
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Illinois Fighting Illini lead the series since 1955, 7-4. The two programs have met 11 times on record.
National windows are set by Set weekly by the conference TV partners (ESPN, ABC, FOX, FS1). Kickoff time and the exact channel are set by the networks before game week.
No. California plays in the ACC. Illinois plays in the Big Ten (Power 4). This is a non-conference game.