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Illinois enters this fall as a Big Ten dark-horse and a possible conference title contender. According to ESPN, it's impressed with what Illinois has built over the last few seasons, arguing this fall will be coach Bret Bielema's most important yet.
Following a 10-3 season this past year may be difficult to replicate by Illinois standards. It has been 14 years since the program's last pair of back-to-back winning seasons in 2010 and 2011. Although Bielema led the Illini to a bowl game in 2022, it then led to a 2023 where the Illini didn't meet expectations. A 5-7 season saw crushing losses to the likes of Northwestern and Purdue, alongside lopsided results against Penn State and Nebraska, among others.
This season, though, seems different. ESPN has Illinois "in the running" alongside Indiana and Michigan when discussing the league title, among other factors.
"Illinois returns the core players from its first 10-win team since 2001, and it could become this year's version of Indiana, especially with more explosiveness on offense and stout line play. If the Illini can navigate September road tests against Duke and, yes, Indiana, look out for Bret Bielema's squad."
Games to earmark are arguably Illinois' two biggest home contests. A 6-1 mark at Memorial Stadium this past year is going to have to pay dividends again this fall when the USC Trojans and Ohio State Buckeyes visit Champaign Sept. 27 and Oct. 11, respectively. Win both of those games, plus play the bottom-half of the league from a year ago, and sneak in a road win against the Hoosiers, and anything is possible.
However, Illinois must take care of business before opening league play. It opens the year with Western Illinois before traveling to Durham to play an improved Duke team to begin September.
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For now, it remains to be seen whether Bielema's team flames out or lives up to the preseason hype.
In a few weeks, the college football world will find out.
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