Around Champaign, buzz and excitement are two words almost solely associated with Illinois basketball. Rarely has Illini football injected life into the Central Illinois area (and beyond) over the past few decades. Then Bret Bielema came to town.
After a gradual build, the Illini had seemingly reached a tipping point. On the heels of a 10-3 season in 2024, and with major pieces returning on both sides of the football, Illinois entered 2025 with the highest expectations the program had seen since the turn of the century.
The Illini debuted at No. 12 in the preseason AP poll – good for their highest preseason ranking since 1990. (And it was just the third time the program had been listed in an initial poll since 2000.)
But although standout quarterback Luke Altmyer (and, for the most part, the offense as a whole) held up his end of the bargain, Illinois’ defense was plagued by inconsistency. The bend-but-don’t-break philosophy resulted in bend-and-then-break results, as the Illini boasted one of the most porous third-down defenses in the nation. (Notable injuries did play a key role.)
Nevertheless, Bielema’s club wasn’t short on opportunities. Knock off Wisconsin and Washington – both winnable games, especially the former – and the Illini would have been firmly in the College Football Playoff discussion. But they didn’t, and now both Altmyer and stud edge rusher Gabe Jacas are out of the picture, which begs the question:
There is no way around it: The departure of Altmyer is a massive blow to the Illini. Experience is important, but experience within a system and program is integral. Projected starter Katin Houser, an East Carolina transfer, has loads of experience – but not with Illinois.
Then again, Fernando Mendoza just waltzed into Bloomington and carried Indiana to a national title in his lone season as a Hoosier. That was admittedly an anomaly – but it’s encouraging to know that anything is possible.
Offensively, Illinois should hold up. Coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. has proven himself to be one of the game’s finest offensive minds over the past few seasons, and he will have a variety of weapons at his disposal.
The Illini return their three-headed monster at running back in Ca’Lil Valentine, Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin (although Feagin is shifting to tight end), while they did solid work in the portal to bolster the receiving corps. And, again, Houser is experienced and widely considered a plus addition. The offensive line, which returns very little production from a season ago, will be the key position group to monitor on that side of the field.
Defense remains a wild card, though. Newly annointed defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck, who was tremendously successful with his chaos-inducing 3-3-5 scheme as head coach at Montana, will have a tough task on his hands. The Illini are rich with experience and talent in the secondary, but the linebackers and especially the defensive line are huge wild cards.
In 2025, the optimism surrounding Illinois was due to experience and continuity across the board. Sure, the Illini had some talent – but they weren’t bursting at the seams with it. In 2026, though, they’re a bit short on all the above. There will be someone new helming the defense, a different quarterback lining up behind center for the first time since 2022 and a handful of other position groups that have been entirely revamped.
So can the Illini make a run to the College Football Playoff in 2026? With the relatively generous slate they have, it isn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility – although it’s firmly on the outer edge. Coming out of matchups with Oregon, Nebraska and Iowa at home with at least two wins – which won’t be an easy feat – is a must.
And Illinois wouldn’t be able to afford even one of the unexpected falters that characterized the 2025 campaign. So there may be a very slim chance for a CFP berth, but a seven- or eight-win season to keep the ball rolling (and stay bowling) is a far more realistic goal.
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