Illinois college football empire map · after Week 0 · Aug 27–29, 2026
Who owned Illinois? Illinois.
Illinois controls 45.1% of Illinois's land: 41 of its 102 counties. Northern Illinois is next with 15.7% (16 counties, home to 1.79M people). 9 schools split the state at kickoff; 9 remain now.
Illinois, by empire
| Empire | Land | Counties | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 45.1% | 41 | 2.12M |
| Northern Illinois | 15.7% | 16 | 1.79M |
| Iowa | 9.5% | 9 | 328K |
| Missouri | 9.1% | 10 | 442K |
| Northwestern | 5.8% | 5 | 7.65M |
| Indiana | 5.8% | 8 | 103K |
| Western Kentucky | 4.1% | 7 | 129K |
| Arkansas State | 2.6% | 4 | 80K |
| Wisconsin | 2.1% | 2 | 65K |
Owners of Illinois land, by week
9