Favorite games of the Bret Bielema era

#1      

Witherspoon_illini

Witherspoon_illini
Witherspoon_illini
I have no idea where to put this but I wanted to share my top 5 favorite Illinois football games of the Bret Bielema era so far.

5. 2022 @ Wisconsin
It simply felt great winning at camp Randall for the first in 20 years in dominant fashion after being by owed at that place for so many years. Illinois legend Chase Brown ran for 129 yards and ran for 1 touchdown. What made this game better was that it was what got Paul Chryst fired. Overall, a great game.

4. 2025 vs USC
Overall this was a fun high scoring game between two great offenses. The game went down to the wire but Luke Altmyer came up in clutch to drive us down into field goal range for David Olano to kick the game winning field goal. Overall this was a great bounce back game from a 63-10 loss to Indiana the week before.

3. 2024 vs Michigan

This was a great game, no other words can describe it. It was the 100th anniversary of the Red Grange vs Michigan in 1924 and we put an old fashioned 21-7 !!! whooping on the wolverines after the way we got hosed against this team back in 2022.

2021. 9OT @ Penn St.

This was a very stunning upset and there is no other way to put it. In a game where I believe we ran the ball 60+ times, it came down to a thrilling 9 overtime’s where Brandon Peters threw a game winning 2 point conversion pass to Casey Washington in the back of the
end zone. This was without a doubt the signature win of the Bret Bielema era at Illinois.

1. Citrus Bowl vs South Carolina

Illinois won one of the saltiest bowl games in college football history. A game where Bret Bielema was trolling Shane Beamer the whole entire time with the late substitutions, a game where Shane Beamer threw a snap at Bret Bielema for making a T signal on the sideline, and lastly a game where nobody thought we were gonna win. This game was too hilarious and that’s why it’s my favorite Illinois football game of the Bret Bielema era so far. I love beating the SEC and I always will, B1G>SEC forever!
 
#2      
IlliniWu
Witherspoon_illini said:
I have no idea where to put this but I wanted to share my top 5 favorite Illinois football games of the Bret Bielema era so far.

5. 2022 @ Wisconsin
It simply felt great winning at camp Randall for the first in 20 years in dominant fashion after being by owed at that place for so many years. Illinois legend Chase Brown ran for 129 yards and ran for 1 touchdown. What made this game better was that it was what got Paul Chryst fired. Overall, a great game.

4. 2025 vs USC
Overall this was a fun high scoring game between two great offenses. The game went down to the wire but Luke Altmyer came up in clutch to drive us down into field goal range for David Olano to kick the game winning field goal. Overall this was a great bounce back game from a 63-10 loss to Indiana the week before.

3. 2024 vs Michigan

This was a great game, no other words can describe it. It was the 100th anniversary of the Red Grange vs Michigan in 1924 and we put an old fashioned 21-7 !!! whooping on the wolverines after the way we got hosed against this team back in 2022.

2021. 9OT @ Penn St.

This was a very stunning upset and there is no other way to put it. In a game where I believe we ran the ball 60+ times, it came down to a thrilling 9 overtime’s where Brandon Peters threw a game winning 2 point conversion pass to Casey Washington in the back of the
end zone. This was without a doubt the signature win of the Bret Bielema era at Illinois.

1. Citrus Bowl vs South Carolina

Illinois won one of the saltiest bowl games in college football history. A game where Bret Bielema was trolling Shane Beamer the whole entire time with the late substitutions, a game where Shane Beamer threw a snap at Bret Bielema for making a T signal on the sideline, and lastly a game where nobody thought we were gonna win. This game was too hilarious and that’s why it’s my favorite Illinois football game of the Bret Bielema era so far. I love beating the SEC and I always will, B1G>SEC forever!
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Great thing about the BB era is the amount of memorable games along the way of a good (Great) run in program history. They have to keep adding.
 
#3      
ChiefGritty
Witherspoon_illini said:
I have no idea where to put this but I wanted to share my top 5 favorite Illinois football games of the Bret Bielema era so far.

5. 2022 @ Wisconsin
It simply felt great winning at camp Randall for the first in 20 years in dominant fashion after being by owed at that place for so many years. Illinois legend Chase Brown ran for 129 yards and ran for 1 touchdown. What made this game better was that it was what got Paul Chryst fired. Overall, a great game.

4. 2025 vs USC
Overall this was a fun high scoring game between two great offenses. The game went down to the wire but Luke Altmyer came up in clutch to drive us down into field goal range for David Olano to kick the game winning field goal. Overall this was a great bounce back game from a 63-10 loss to Indiana the week before.

3. 2024 vs Michigan

This was a great game, no other words can describe it. It was the 100th anniversary of the Red Grange vs Michigan in 1924 and we put an old fashioned 21-7 !!! whooping on the wolverines after the way we got hosed against this team back in 2022.

2021. 9OT @ Penn St.

This was a very stunning upset and there is no other way to put it. In a game where I believe we ran the ball 60+ times, it came down to a thrilling 9 overtime’s where Brandon Peters threw a game winning 2 point conversion pass to Casey Washington in the back of the
end zone. This was without a doubt the signature win of the Bret Bielema era at Illinois.

1. Citrus Bowl vs South Carolina

Illinois won one of the saltiest bowl games in college football history. A game where Bret Bielema was trolling Shane Beamer the whole entire time with the late substitutions, a game where Shane Beamer threw a snap at Bret Bielema for making a T signal on the sideline, and lastly a game where nobody thought we were gonna win. This game was too hilarious and that’s why it’s my favorite Illinois football game of the Bret Bielema era so far. I love beating the SEC and I always will, B1G>SEC forever!
Click to expand...
Great post, I think your first three are pretty undeniable, I would swap in game 1 against Nebraska where he pulled some surprises on them and had them looking totally unprepared, making clear immediately that there was a different kind of attention to detail in town, and then the Pat Bryant walk-off at Rutgers which I think is my favorite single moment since the Juice era.

The John Paddock Game and the Music City Bowl are honorable mentions too.
 
#5      
WyattEarp
OrangeBlue98 said:
My list, in order.

1) Citrus Bowl
2) Michigan “throwback game”
3) Overtime win at Nebraska
4) Music City Bowl
5) 2022 at Wisconsin
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Nailed It!
IMG_8344.jpeg
 
#7      
SuperintendentChalmers
I'd put the Citrus Bowl on top too, but would also include the 2024 game at Rutgers, which was essentially a Citrus Bowl play-in assuming that the winner won their fairly easy final game (both did). Citrus Bowl reps were at the game and with Rutgers winning 17-9 at the half, they were tentatively chatting with RU athletic department officials about potential Orlando plans.

Rightly, the game is remembered for the Pat Bryant miracle at the end, but we scored touchdowns on our last four possessions on a day when Rutgers had a lot going for them: Monongai, Senior Day emotions, crazy winds and, given that we were #24, a reasonable shot at ending their deacdes-long streak of not beating a Top 25 team.
 
#9      
OrangeBlue98
SuperintendentChalmers said:
I'd put the Citrus Bowl on top too, but would also include the 2024 game at Rutgers, which was essentially a Citrus Bowl play-in assuming that the winner won their fairly easy final game (both did). Citrus Bowl reps were at the game and with Rutgers winning 17-9 at the half, they were tentatively chatting with RU athletic department officials about potential Orlando plans.

Rightly, the game is remembered for the Pat Bryant miracle at the end, but we scored touchdowns on our last four possessions on a day when Rutgers had a lot going for them: Monongai, Senior Day emotions, crazy winds and, given that we were #24, a reasonable shot at ending their deacdes-long streak of not beating a Top 25 team.
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For me, Rutgers 2024 is probably #6. I picked 2022 Wisconsin because that game was one that showed me “OK, this might be really sustainable.” We had a good season and that game was a real statement.
 
#10      
IlliniWu
HM: Iowa '22, 'Nebraska '24

5. '25 USC

4. '21 9 OT over #7 Penn State

3. '24 Pat Bryant walk off at Rutgers

2. '24 Michigan dedication game because of all things considered and generational helmets + uniforms

1. Citrus Bowl vs South Carolina


As mentioned, there are plenty other candidates for this as well as some dominating wins that would make the list as well. Shows how far they've come but obviously need to keep it up.
 
#12      
IlliniWu
blackdog said:
The Kansas game in 2024 didn't turn out to be that important in retrospect but at the time it was an electric atmosphere and was the beginning of the feeling that we had "arrived" as a legit football program.
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I'd argue that it was. A ranked sellout game that was absolutely set off by Xavier Scott. It should've been in my HM but definitely one of a lot of games that has made this tenure a success.
 
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