Why Illinois Over Duke Is Big Ten's 'Most Important Win' After Ohio State-Texas

A good many observers were impressed by Illinois' 45-19 win over Duke last Saturday in Durham, North Carolina. Can't argue with that. Between the Illini's five takeaways, quarterback Luke Altmyer's fantastic second-half bounceback (he finished with 296 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions after struggling against the Blue Devils' pressure before halftime) and the team's general composure and relentlessness in a tough road matchup, there was plenty to like.

But some observers valued it even more than others, including Big Ten Network analysts and former LSU quarterback Josh Booty. In an on-air segment following all of college football's Week 2 action, Booty ranked Illinois' win above all but one other Big Ten victory so far this season.

"Aside from Ohio State beating Texas, I think this was the most important win of the season for any team in the Big Ten."@Jbooty88 on @IlliniFootball’s 45-19 win over Duke and 2025 expectations 👇#B1GToday pic.twitter.com/J6gZZBXKHV
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 9, 2025

"Aside from Ohio State beating Texas, I think this was the most important win of the season for any team in the Big Ten," Booty said, "just because of the expectations for Illinois to get off to a good start."

It's a fair assessment. The defending-national-champion Buckeyes knocking off the No. 1 Longhorns and reasserting their dominance as the current best team in college football was going to be impossible to beat (perhaps like the Buckeyes themselves). But the Illini venturing on the road to take on a team on the fringes of the AP top 25 (Duke had received votes from pollsters going into Week 2) wasn't just a rock-solid win – it validated the offseason talk around Illinois and laid the groundwork for the rest of what could be an historic 2025 season in Champaign.

How certain can we be that all of this will come to pass? Let's just say it's a long season. But the Duke win gives shape to the possibilities and substance to the theoretical. We have seen what the Illini are capable of, and we know now that last year's magic in the passing game wasn't all concentrated in the hands of since-departed receiver Pat Bryant.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer escapes pressure against Duke — Sep 6, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) runs during the first quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

"We've seen, just each year, [Altmyer] taking steps, him taking progress," Booty said. "He struggled when teams pressured him in the past. Duke and Manny Diaz, we knew they were gonna send pressure – they pressured him. He adapted in the second half. His average time to throw was 2.13 seconds."

In fact, Altmyer was dropped for four sacks in the first half by the Blue Devils, who trailed by just a point at the break. But Altmyer's protection firmed up just a bit and made the adjustment to get the ball out quicker, finding hot routes and faster-developing options to keep the chains moving, wear down Duke's D and, eventually, put his pass receivers in position to pop for a few big gains.

For Illinois, there will be more difficult challenges ahead than Duke – at home against those Buckeyes on Oct. 11 springs to mind – and Altymer won't have to shoulder the burden all alone. But his showing that level of poise against blitz pressure gives opponents no simple solutions for attacking the Illini offense. That's a pretty important development indeed.