Bret Bielema can finally concentrate on continuing to build his Illinois team into a consistent winner.
After naming Luke Altmyer Illinois’ starting quarterback Monday and finalizing the six captains of Isaiah Adams, Isaiah Williams, Keith Randolph Jr., Jer’Zhan Newton, Tarique Barnes, and Tip Reiman, Bielema has this team ready for 2023.
After going 13-12 through his first two seasons at Illinois, he only needs to finish anything better than 6-6 to surpass Mike White’s first three seasons in Champaign, who was 17-16-1. White, who led Illinois from 1980-1987 brought the team three bowl appearances and the historic 1983 season where the Illini had their only undefeated Big 10 campaign.
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Given Illinois’ struggles of yesteryear, the Illini have had many coaching changes. Bielema is the sixth head coach this millennium, but he seems to have brought stability and an upward trend.
Coming off an 8-5 season and a 19-10 loss to Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl, this Illini team will have to adjust without impact players Tommy Devito, Devon Witherspoon, and twins Chase and Sydney Brown. They were the backbones of the revitalized team that started 7-1 but crumbled, giving the division to Purdue in mid-November.
2023 is now the most anticipated season in Champaign since 2008, and rightfully so. That Illinois team started the season #20, and the year before, was the last time the Illini knocked off a No. 1 team and reached the Rose Bowl.
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Bielema has made it abundantly clear he wants Illinois to be relevant on a national scale once again. He took a step in the right direction a season ago, as his team was featured on ABC twice and played the lone Thursday night game against Chattanooga on the Big Ten Network. They also gained attention in the polls, as Illinois climbed to as high as No. 16 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Over 10,000 season tickets have been sold, and although the website namesake Mike Farrell projects Illinois to finish third in the division, the schedule is very doable. The Illini avoid Michigan and Ohio State from the east and will host Penn State as part of FOX’s “Big Noon Kickoff” on Sept. 16.
Although Illinois is unranked to begin the year, the Nittany Lions sit at No. 7 in the preseason AP poll and have arguably their best team in the James Franklin era. This game is critical for both teams to represent the conference in Indianapolis and could set the course of the season and divisional race.
Is Illinois “back”? That’s still up for debate, but it’s apparent that football is again relevant in a college town where basketball is the top dog. Nonetheless, the vibes are palpable in Champaign as Bielema aims to take the next step toward making Illinois a conference title contender.
For the moment, he has his team right where he wants them on the quest to recapture past glory. The rebuild is over. Consistency, however, is vital for future success long-term.
Kickoff against Toledo is set for September 2 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. The Illini look to move their four-game home opener winning streak (not including the shortened 2020 season) to five in a row.
