Watch Purdue Boilermakers vs Illinois Fighting Illini live on BTN or stream the game on FOX One from Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET / 1:15 p.m. PT during CFB Week 5 of the 2026 college football season. The Purdue Cannon is on the line in a series separated by a single game, and Illinois has won the last two, most recently 43-27 in October 2025.

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Where to Watch Purdue Boilermakers vs Illinois Fighting Illini Football Live

How to Watch Purdue vs Illinois Without Cable

You can stream Purdue vs Illinois live on FOX One. Purdue was 1-2 through Week 3 after a 52-38 loss at UCLA, its 19th consecutive defeat to a Power Four opponent, with Barry Odom in his second season in West Lafayette. FOX One brings together live FOX College Football games, highlights, expert coverage, and live and on-demand FOX programming, all in one place. Start your 3-day free trial and stream on supported devices.

FOX College Football Schedule 2026 - Week 5

Friday, Oct. 2, 2026
Week 5 - Watch Penn State vs Northwestern — 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT

Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026
Week 5 - Watch Michigan vs Minnesota — 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT
Week 5 - Watch Michigan State vs Wisconsin — 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT
Week 5 - Watch Maryland vs Nebraska — 4:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. PT
Week 5 - Watch Purdue vs Illinois — 4:15 p.m. ET / 1:15 p.m. PT
Week 5 - Watch Texas Tech vs Colorado — 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT
Week 5 - Watch Indiana vs Rutgers — 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT
Week 5 - Watch Cincinnati vs Arizona — 11:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 p.m. PT

Purdue leads this series 48-47-6 across 101 meetings, which makes it one of the closest long-running rivalries in the Big Ten. It began with a 62-0 Purdue win on Nov. 22, 1890 - still the widest margin either side has managed. The winner takes the Purdue Cannon, and Purdue leads the trophy series 40-32-2, including seven wins in the last ten meetings.

The Cannon has an unusual origin. In 1905 a group of Purdue students hauled a cannon to Champaign intending to fire it after a Boilermaker victory. Purdue won 29-0, but Illinois supporters found the cannon hidden in a culvert near the field and took it before the celebration could start. Quincy A. Hall moved it to his farmhouse near Milford, Illinois, where it survived a fire and sat unused until he proposed it as a trophy when the series resumed in 1943 after an 11-year lapse. Illinois' longest run in the series is six straight, achieved twice, in 1906-1911 and 1988-1993, and it has won the last two.