Head coach Bret Bielema and Illinois impressed even their most prominent critics last year. They finished the regular season 9-3 and topped it off with a 21-17 victory over South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl to reach a double-digit win season.
The Fighting Illini finished the year ranked No. 20 in the College Football Playoff poll, and were a home loss to Minnesota away from having a real case for entering the top 12, with their only losses to No. 1 Oregon and No. 4 Penn State.
Bret Bielema Has Illinois Football Ready to Make a Run at the Top 10
In year five under Bielema, the Illini are finally in a peak position to break into the upper echelon of college football.
“I really like what Bielema has coming back,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich said. “They got a QB, they got 18 starters, they got all their stars back on the offensive line, and they don’t play Oregon, Michigan, or Penn State.”
Led by quarterback Luke Altmeyer, who threw for 2,717 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions last year, adding four touchdowns on the ground, a vast improvement from his 1,883 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2023, Illinois is ranked No. 10 in On3’s Ari Wasserman’s Top 25.
The Fighting Illini also brought in West Virginia transfer Hudson Clement at wide receiver, bringing in a solid target for Altmeyer to look for. Clement had 51 receptions for 741 yards and five touchdowns for the Mountaineers last year.
He had a season-high 166 yards and two touchdowns in the Frisco Bowl against Memphis.
KEEP READING: Illinois 2025 Football Schedule: Fighting Illini Primed for Higher Heights?
This year, the schedule also favors the Illini, who dodge every Big Ten superpower except Ohio State, which they host at Memorial Stadium. They only have to make one trip out west, heading to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies.
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