Bret Bielema gets Indiana-like treatment in CFP On3 projection for Illinois football

Bret Bielema is now 14 weeks away (including this upcoming weekend) from beginning his fifth season in Champaign.

Five years ago, given where the program was, making it to his fifth season would have likely been considered a bonus. Now, the fanbase expects much more.

Illinois was on the brink of something special this past season: a College Football Playoff berth. If it weren't for a 25-17 November loss to Minnesota, it may have qualified for its first berth in school history by finishing the regular-season 10-2.

Alas, it didn't happen. However, the Illini did win their bowl game to close out the year and reach double-digits. Pundits expect Bielema to take the next step by getting his team to the next level, even if it means not winning the Big Ten.

Although On3's Ari Wasserman doesn't have any Big Ten teams in the title game, he expects South Bend, Indiana, of all locations, to be a vocal point during opening weekend. Once again, Wasserman sees the Fighting Irish welcoming a Big Ten team. This time, though, it's the Illini, not Indiana.

Wasserman expects a swift exit for Bielema and Co., citing a talent gap between both teams and describing the Illini as an "upstart Big Ten foe."

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Whether he is right remains to be seen, but again, this remark could be used as a sign of possible disrespect toward the would-be No. 10 seed despite returning 18 of 22 starters from last year's team.

Either way, it motivates quarterback Luke Altmyer to work even harder entering his final season in Champaign. Altmyer called out South Carolina after the bowl game after Illinois had been mistaken for the Syracuse Orange, literally. 

Nevertheless, any motivation Illinois can get certainly helps. But, to make any of these aspirations a possibility, it has to get in. After that feat is reached, all bets are off regarding how the program will be perceived.

Either way, though, the Illini could be in for a massive year. One that could certainly make Bielema's restructured contract worth it after all.

By August, all the hype is going to be meaningless. Whether the Illini deliver is another story altogether.