Bret Bielema, Illinois football labeled 'damn good' by Fox Sports' Joel Klatt in eye-popping ranking

Following a 10-3 season this past year, coach Bret Bielema's Illinois program attempts to leap into national stardom come August.

With lofty expectations comes intrigue from the national college football media, where Bielema's team is finally beginning to earn the respect he has long pushed for since last season ended, which included the fallout from the Illini's bowl win against South Carolina.

Fox Sports' Joel Klatt has fully bought into the off-season hype by releasing his way-too-early post-spring football rankings. Illinois ranks No. 10, one spot above the Gamecocks and one of seven Big Ten teams in Klatt's projection.

Joel Klatt gives Illinois football high ceiling 

"Illinois ... sneaky-, sneaky-good team," Klatt said. "This No. 10 ranking should signal that to everybody."

Klatt said Illinois' rise to relevance since Bielema took over before the 2021 season began is impressive enough that this year's team could be viewed as Bielema's best coaching job despite losing wideout Pat Bryant to the NFL at the end of last month.

"They've got the experience in the right places to be a really good football team, and they've got the schedule that's going to land them, probably, in the College Football Playoff," Klatt said. "Bielema is building exactly what you would expect him to build at Illinois: tough, hard-nosed team."

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The schedule includes having to avoid the likes of Michigan, Penn State, Iowa and Oregon, to name a few.

Instead, Illinois' games to circle include a rematch with Indiana from two seasons ago, Ohio State's first trip to Champaign since Nov. 2015 and the first-ever conference tilt between the Fighting Illini and USC. All three games take place within a month, meaning by mid-October, Illinois' season outlook may already be written or close to it.

"What do we see? Michigan. Experience. Win the national championship. Ohio State. Experience, Win the national championship. Illinois. Experience. Maybe they don't win the national championship, but they're gonna be damn good."

Illinois opens the season with Western Illinois at home before a likely must-win game against Duke may be used as a measuring stick to see how good it could be when its key Big Ten stretch begins.

The Illini last won a Big Ten title in 2001, and although the conference has some must-watch contenders, it isn't too far-fetched to say Illinois can't be on that list. They return quarterback Luke Altmyer alongside 72 percent of their starting bowl game roster.

If anything, experience might be the Illini's biggest strength. Now, that trait will have to translate into wins to prove Klatt's comments correct.