Illini Football 2026
- Status
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
here's a way too early 2026 Big Ten Football standings prediction...
I just semi-watched a very long (nearly 2 hours) and detailed prediction of the 2026 Big 10 standings. Without being precise, here's what this pretty knowledgeable and well-researched podcaster thinks about the upcoming Big 10 race at this early stage. 4 teams expected to make the CFP. UCLA and Northwestern are two of the bigger surprises.
18. MD
17. WISC
16. PURD
15. MINN
14. NEB
13. RUT
--------------------
12. MSU
11. ILL (6-6 & Bowl eligible --- with an 8-4 ceiling)
10. NW
9. PSU
8. USC
7. UCLA
----------------------
6. WASH
5. MICH
4. IOWA
3. OSU
2. OREG
1. IND repeats!!!
I just semi-watched a very long (nearly 2 hours) and detailed prediction of the 2026 Big 10 standings. Without being precise, here's what this pretty knowledgeable and well-researched podcaster thinks about the upcoming Big 10 race at this early stage. 4 teams expected to make the CFP. UCLA and Northwestern are two of the bigger surprises.
18. MD
17. WISC
16. PURD
15. MINN
14. NEB
13. RUT
--------------------
12. MSU
11. ILL (6-6 & Bowl eligible --- with an 8-4 ceiling)
10. NW
9. PSU
8. USC
7. UCLA
----------------------
6. WASH
5. MICH
4. IOWA
3. OSU
2. OREG
1. IND repeats!!!
Illini in Italy
- Illini HQ, Florida Panhandle
Was the podcaster smoking a funny looking cigarette? As my neighbor Archie says, " . . . There is no way on God's green earth that Northwestern is going to finish above the Beloved. NO WAY!"
Mean reversion will come into play for Indiana. I predict they will surprise to the downside next year
the only thing that would be more surprising than them winning the B1G last year , would be repeating it .
It's hard for me to say much without knowing what to expect from Katin Houser. I know defense has been the talk this off-season, but with the unknowns Houser brings, it makes Pre-Season rankings for the Illini so challenging.
DeonThomas
- South Carolina
Agreed.
I should add that this guy loves Bielema.
However, he accurately points out that we're losing our 3-year starting QB, the bulk of our OL and a ton of other players. Oh, and we're also overhauling our defensive scheme. All of that, plus we did not bring in a portal haul to offset the losses. He sees little chance of repeating the back-to-back 10/9 win seasons.
I typically fall into the conservative curmudgeon camp regarding preseason predictions, but this seems a bit pessimistic.
And will Wisconsin be that bad?
winning 9 games this year, even with what appears to be a decent schedule for us, would be the best coaching job of BB's tenure here
its not likely
Who's prediction? We were predicted 6th in the West in 2022, 4th in the West in 2023, 13th in 2024, and 6th in 2025. With the exception of Ohio State, Oregon and Iowa at the top and Purdue at the bottom, these predictions aren't worth the cloud computing space that is used to generate them.
ptgrd23
- orange county CA
at some point you have to trust your coaching staffing that we are perennial top 40 team
Favored in 8 games
UAB 4-8
SIU 7-5
Purdue 2-10
@UCLA 3-9
Nebraska 7-6 lost QB
@Michigan State 4-8
@Md 4-8
@NW 7-6 (like a home game)
Underdogs in 4
Duke 9-5 lost QB
OSU 12-2
Oregon 13-2
Iowa 9-4
It is a very favorable schedule - we don't play Penn State, Michigan or Indiana
Deciding factors
1. How good is our new QB. 5th year senior. 3 year starter. Very effective at Eastern Carolina 3300 yds 66% completion 19 TDs and 6 interceptions.
2. Will our defense be better. Getting Xavier Scott and Mathew Bailey back is huge on pass defense. Stopping the run with completely new defensive line and new 3-3-5 is main question.
Favored in 8 games
UAB 4-8
SIU 7-5
Purdue 2-10
@UCLA 3-9
Nebraska 7-6 lost QB
@Michigan State 4-8
@Md 4-8
@NW 7-6 (like a home game)
Underdogs in 4
Duke 9-5 lost QB
OSU 12-2
Oregon 13-2
Iowa 9-4
It is a very favorable schedule - we don't play Penn State, Michigan or Indiana
Deciding factors
1. How good is our new QB. 5th year senior. 3 year starter. Very effective at Eastern Carolina 3300 yds 66% completion 19 TDs and 6 interceptions.
2. Will our defense be better. Getting Xavier Scott and Mathew Bailey back is huge on pass defense. Stopping the run with completely new defensive line and new 3-3-5 is main question.
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
For most of the last 30 years we were looking up at mediocre.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
I can't "like" this, but I certainly can agree with it.
mhuml32
Gesture of Northern Aggression
Bingo. Here are the seasons in the last 30 years with more than 7 wins:
1999 (Turner)
2001 (Turner)
2007 (Zook)
2022 (Bielema)
2024 (Bielema)
2025 (Bielema)
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Sure, he has 3 of our best 6 seasons over the past 30 years in just the past 4 years, but this is the year he really has to prove it!!!
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
I think it has the potential to freak people out.
1) When it works well, it is going to be fun.
2) When it doesn't work well...it will be exciting all the same, just for the wrong reason.
Hopefully we will get a lot more of the first one.
217sports
- Springfield
I am not saying he is close to being in danger of being fired or has to prove anything. Its a fair question of whether we continue on our upward trajectory or fall back with the amount of change that we are undergoing this year.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
I think it’s pretty obvious that this next year will likely be a small or potentially large step back.
We lost our 3 year starting QB who had the most comeback wins of any QB in the country over the past 2 years. We lost our offensive line. We lost our defensive line. We had a decent, but not great portal season.
So yeah, it’ll likely be a step back in comparison to the best stretch of football in Illinois history.
My personal hope is that the step back is temporary. And we continue to grow the program over the coming years.
Our portal was terrible except the QB so I’m not expecting more than six or seven wins this season
Unless Hauser is top 1/3 of the league good we're likely to see a significant drop off. Just making a bowl would be a huge win to keep up sustained success.
agree, agree. realistic expectations for this season will be key and, realistically, we're coming off an unprecedented run of success and just graduated our QB and many other key experienced members of the squad. for me, 6 wins and a bowl would continue to build on this spectacular run and be massive
- Status