Illinois' surprise 10-win 2024 season culminated with Bret Bielema eating Shane Beamer's lunch in the Citrus Bowl as the Illini beat South Carolina 21-17. Bielema has had little trouble beating SEC teams as a Big Ten coach, which makes it all the more amazing that his tenure at Arkansas was so bad. Is another 10-win season on the table for 2025? Well, that's ...
The Big Question: Was 2024 a lucky fluke/favorable schedule or was it a sign that Bielema has raised Illlinois' ceiling? In the new-look Big Ten, while the overall level of competition has increased, it ironically becomes easier to avoid the league's premier teams, as it is highly unlikely any team will have to face all of them in a single season without actually being one of them.
My Guess at the Answer: 2024 got a huge assist from the schedule and from Michigan being down a bit last year. The Illini predictably lost at Penn State and got their teeth knocked down their throats by Oregon. Skipping the red-hot Indiana Hoosiers last season also helped. So the Illini's fortunes in 2025 are going to depend on how the schedule shakes out this season. I remain noncommittal on whether Bielema can actually get Illinois to his old Wisconsin level. Coaching the Illini has always been like invading Russia in the winter.
Key Games:
- at Indiana, Sept. 20: If Indiana is still good in Curt Cignetti's second season, this game will be an absolute dogfight. An Illini victory here would be a strong early sign that 10 wins are on the table.
- at Washington, Oct. 25: I don't give Illinois much chance against Ohio State on October 11, even if the game is in Champaign. Or Urbana. Or wherever Memorial Stadium is. I live in Illinois, you'd think I would know that. So this West Coast road test is going to be critical. Get past this game and November looks no worse than 3-1.
My Prediction: The Illini lose to Ohio State and Washington and drop one other game along the way to finish at 9-3.
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