Illinois Fighting Illini College Football Preview, Prediction, Betting ideas

Illinois

2024 Record: 10-3

View From Afar: I don't know about your timeline, but Brett Bielema seems to be popping up in mine quite a bit this offseason. He must be feeling pretty confident! And why not? The last time the Illini had a 10-win season was 2001, and after '23's disappointing 5-7, Bielema's group getting 10 wins wasn't on Many's radar. The bowl win vs South Carolina was particularly exciting, as well as beating Michigan for the first time since 2009. Lunney enters his fourth year as offensive coordinator, Henry is back for his third year as defensive coordinator, and continuity will be a theme throughout. Illinois came in at #3 in Bill Connelly's returning production chart, with the focal point indeed being Luke Altmyer. Ever since his bowl appearance vs Baylor in a Ole Miss uniform, this man has shown a competitiveness. He is not afraid of the moment (He threw 2 picks but looked electric), a guy I feel stats or analytics can't fully quantify (22tds, 6 int's ain't bad!). What is different about this offseason in Champaign, is there certainly is expectations in '25. The Fighting Illini is undoubtedly a darling playoff pick, but this team is not sneaking up on anyone this year. Will the returning production, as well as coaching continuity be enough to get this team double digit wins, again?

Recruiting: Illinois finished the '25 cycle ranked #13 in the Big 10, up from #15 a year ago. Don't look now but they are 13th nationally for '26, not likely they stay there but looks great for the program!

Portal: Illinois ranked ninth in the Big 10 in portal class. With so much returning production, they had the luxury of being selective. Clement(WR) come's over from West Virginia and they may need production from him with the losses at receiver. Three transfers from Wisconsin (Neal, Lowery, Thompson) is either a good sign about Wisconsin's D or a ominous sign about the direction of the program in Madison! The significant loss in the portal is McCray (RB) to Georgia; he ran for 114 yards and 2 TDs vs South Carolina.

Key Roster Departures: Pat Bryant was the lone player drafted from Illinois in '25. Losing him and Franklin will thin out that WR room pretty good, over 1500 yards combined receiving yards out the door.

Roster Tidbits: Alymyer (QB) is back; he's thrown for 209 per game in both years as a starter. The offensive line should be a strength from a continuity standpoint. Davis (3rd team all Big 10), Priestly, Krutz, and Gesky are all seniors and all returning starters; they did, however, grade out as a unit and individually as solid, while not spectacular. But continuity is key! Feagin was a long shot most rushing yards in Big 10 bet for me last season, he returns from injury we hope, the bet most certainly did not cash! RB and WR are big question marks in my estimation, Trimble(WR) seems to be getting some buzz from camp so keep an eye out for the true freshman, otherwise I'm sure the aforementioned Clement will be Altmyers go to man. Defensively is where this group look's very solid, primarily the secondary. Xavier Scott(2nd team all Big 10) will lead the group that essentially brings back its two deep, Miles Scott, Matthew Bailey, both safeties that graded out well last year. If Thompson(DL) can return to pre-injury form, he will be a significant addition. Neal will also look to help a group that ranked third from the bottom in run defense in the conference a year ago (Wisconsin was last, where he is coming from).

Statistical pulse: 5 of the 6 offense categories on PFF(offense, passing, pass blocking, receiving, rushing, rush blocking), Illinois ranked 8th, 9th, or 10th. The one they ranked 4th was receiving, and they lost the two considerable talents. Defensively, only the tackle grades were in the top 5. This was a solid, maybe not spectacular 10 10-win team. They went 5-1 in one-score games. They also ranked 15th in the country in penalty yards per game, only giving up 40 yards per game, discipline!

Schedule: Illinois opens the season with 7 straight games, culminating with Ohio State at home, the boys' better be fit and prepared. Duke road non-conference is a sneaky one, in Digging into the Blue Devils, that will be no pushover of a group. Indiana, Washington, and Madison are the toughest road tests. Ultimately, I don't see Oregon, I don't see Penn State, Michigan, or hell, even Iowa! So that's a win for the Illini, but those first 7 games are not easy, at Duke, at Indiana, and a visit from the Buckeyes and USC.

Prediction: What is wild is I could honestly see this team being 6-0 and that home game vs Ohio State being the most frenzied atmosphere in Champaign since God knows when. Yet I just as easily could see them being 3-3 and it being a very sad what if. Ultimately, this team is solid, they are gritty, they are a tough team, a lot of football words! But I don't think especially with the losses at WR and RB that this team is exceptional. So, I will say 8-4 for the Illini, they will be excellent in the secondary, I just worry that the offensive line will be solid but nothing more, and the defensive line doesn't have the difference makers to get this team back to 10 wins.

Actionable: Illinois exactly 8 wins (+350 DK) 7 or 8 wins feels so, so likely for this team, and come on now, who doesn't love trying to call their shot!