Penn State football (3-5) will face Illinois (2-4) on Saturday, December 19 as part of the Big Ten’s first-ever “Champions Week,” the conference announced Sunday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions will host the Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium. The game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on FS1.

As part of the Big Ten’s modified season plans, Champions Week will feature additional matchups between East and West foes. The winners of the Big Ten East and West, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 14 Northwestern, respectively, will face off for the conference title at noon on FOX.

Penn State is 19-5 all-time against Illinois and is currently riding a two-game win streak dating back to 2015. The teams’ last meeting in 2018 resulted in a 63-24 Nittany Lions win powered by a 200-yard, three-touchdown performance from running back Miles Sanders.

Should Penn State win, the Nittany Lions could be in a decent position to make a bowl game as a 4-5 team. Of course, they’ll need to get past the Illini first and keep their fingers crossed.