Illinois is entering the final stretch before football season, and the early national chatter around the Big Ten is not exactly flattering.
Bleacher Report’s Big Ten preseason predictions came out Monday, and Illinois is slotted to finish 11th in the conference. That comes after a 9-4 season a year ago, though the Illini also had the kind of rough nights fans won’t forget anytime soon in Madison and Seattle.
The schedule still leaves room for Illinois to make noise. Ohio State and Oregon are the heavyweights sitting in the way, but the Nebraska, Iowa, UCLA and Northwestern games could end up shaping where the Illini finish when it’s all said and done.
The bigger conversation, though, is whether Illinois can actually crash the College Football Playoff picture. TCR’s Don Glenn dug into that question overnight, and the answer is that the road is tough, but not absurd.
A 10-win season has usually been the line for getting into the 12-team CFP, and Illinois does have a schedule that gives it a shot to reach that number. The catch is simple: there is very little room for error. With Ohio State and Oregon on the slate, the Illini likely need to handle the rest of their opponents if they want to stay in the playoff mix.
Kickoff is getting close, too. Illinois opens the 2026 season against UAB on Sept. 3 at Gies Memorial Stadium, which means there are now 17 days left.
The same questions hang over the team as the countdown continues. Can Katin Houser take control of the offense?
How quickly will Bobby Hauck’s defense come together? And does Illinois have enough depth to get through a Big Ten schedule that includes Ohio State and Oregon?
Elsewhere, the Bolingbrook product ranked No. 1 in Illinois and No. 18 nationally by 247Sports will officially visit Illinois on Oct. 2.
Illinois is set to return to action Thursday against Cincinnati after opening the season with a 0-0 draw against No. 19 Georgia last week.
In Other News...
Illini Fans Have A New Reason To Get Excited About Bennett Konkey
Bennett Konkey wasted no time making a statement to open his senior football season, and Illinois fans have to like the way it looked. The Illini commit delivered a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown and added two receiving scores in the first eight minutes of Genevas win over Libertyville, a burst of production that immediately put him on the radar again as his final high school year gets going.
He was hardly the only Illinois commit to show up over the weekend, with other pledges contributing in their own games as well. In a quieter note for the athletic department, Illinois soccer settled for a 0-0 draw against UIC after outshooting the opponent, a reminder that the Illini had chances but could not find the finishing touch. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Receiving Corps Suddenly Has A Camp Problem Fans Can't Ignore
Training camp usually gives a program a first real look at how its passing game will come together, but Illinois wide receivers coach Justin Stepp has had to navigate a more frustrating opening stretch than he likely expected. The Illini have been dealing with a run of injuries at the position, and that has already changed the early conversation around the receiver room before the season even gets going.
Alex Perrys recovery from shoulder surgery has put his availability in doubt for the year, while Jayshon Platt and Brayden Trimble have both been limited in practice with non-contact designations. Hudson Clement and Collin Dixon have at least been active, though Clement is still wearing a non-contact jersey as a precaution after a concussion, leaving Illinois to sort through a position group that could look very different once the camp dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Already Has A QB Bret Bielema Clearly Believes In
Katin Houser arrived at Illinois with a clear job in front of him, stepping in after Luke Altmyer moved on to the NFL and giving Bret Bielema a new option at the most important position on the field. Through spring work and fall camp, Houser has already gone through the full offseason process with the Illini, and the early signs around the program suggest he has settled in quickly as more than just a transfer addition.
Bielemas praise during a recent interview centered on Housers leadership and confidence, two traits Illinois will need as it tries to replace a familiar presence under center. Houser also appears to be treating this as a defining stretch, with a likely final college season ahead and a focus on building strong bonds with his receivers before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]