The Fighting College Team crossword solutions are the University of Illinois' Illini (6 letters) and the University of Notre Dame's IRISH (5 letters). The University of Illinois is a public research university located in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. It is the state's oldest university and has been in operation since 1867. The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic research university located in South Bend, Indiana. It was founded in 1842 and is known for its strong athletics program.