2026 Season Predictions Thread
Heart says 9-3.
Brain says 7-5.
Brain says 7-5.
10-2. I hope we can give both Oregon and OSU a game.
the post right above your 9-3 prediction, but i don’t think we beat iowa, either
UAB - win
Duke - loss
SIU - win
OSU - loss
Purdue - win
MSU -loss
Oregon - loss
Maryland - win
Nebraska - loss
UCLA - loss
Iowa - loss
Northwestern - loss
4-8
You might be right. We won't be favored against Iowa but that's the kind of "upset" Bielema is good at pulling off.
Have the same feeling so I'm going with 8-4.
UAB - W
Duke - W
SIU - W
OSU - L
Purdue - W
MSU - W
Oregon - L
Maryland - W
Nebraska - W
UCLA - L
Iowa - L
Northwestern - W
we are beating iowa.
I'm not extremely high on this team because we have absolutely no clue what the QB situation is going to look like. 4-8 suggests a complete offensive bust paired with a suspect defense.
8-4 isn't an unreasonable guess, I think 4-8 is harsh, but there's also a lot of questions in more than a handful of areas.
I kick a field goal and say 6-6. I don't think we lose to Duke at home and I don't think we lose to NW. OSU and Oregon are the only absolute L's(in my mind).
We'll lose a couple we should have won and vice versa. .500 seems to be a fair assumption.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
In 2023, we finished ranked #75 in SP+ and went 5-7. This season, we’re preseason ranked #33 and you’re projecting 4-8!?
On the positive side if we aren't in a bowl game we might get one of our tight ends to come over to basketball and be our 9th man.In 2023, we finished ranked #75 in SP+ and went 5-7. This season, we’re preseason ranked #33 and you’re projecting 4-8!?
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
Same. I think the lines are gonna need time to gel and not sure we have the right combo of talent and experience there yet. It's always tough at first installing a new defensive scheme. Kicking game is an unknown at this point, as well. Our offense could be elite, though, if Hauser is truly the real deal.
I still think 7-5 is a solid season in what is supposed to be a "step back" year.
31-17 over the Squawks
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Iowa gave up 30 points zero times last year. Please let this happen.
I mean... there are pretty much four "you better win these games or our program is in a much worse shape than we thought" games on the schedule. And you have us losing two of them...
I get it, there's a new QB, and some other question marks, but it's not like they pulled me aside and gave me the QB1 spot.
Think that'd be Naz Rankin.
mhuml32
Gesture of Northern Aggression
Copy-and-paste of my prediction from another thread:
Generally, I have too many concerns on both lines to be over the Vegas line on the season. I'm also dubious about this defensive scheme being a success, especially in year one. Overall, it's a re-tooling year and going 7-5 a year after pushing all of their chips in would be incredible. I'm sure there would be fan disappointment if this season unfolds like I'm predicting blow and Illinois starts 6-2 and limps to 7-5.
UAB (home) - Win (38-10) 1-0
Duke (home) - Win (31-20) 2-0
SIU (home) - Win (52-3) 3-0
Ohio State (away) - Loss (38-14) 3-1
Purdue (home) - Win (28-23) 4-1
MSU (away) - Win (30-28) 5-1
BYE
Oregon (home) - Loss (41-17) 5-2
Maryland (away) - Win (33-13) 6-2
Nebraska (home) - Loss (34-24) 6-3
UCLA (away) - Loss (24-20) 6-4
Iowa (home) - Loss (19-18) 6-5
Northwestern (away) - Win (32-20) 7-5
The Maryland-Nebraska-UCLA-Iowa-Northwestern stretch to end the season is going to be tough. Maryland should be a bad football team but they have a front-loaded schedule and they have the bye week right before the Illinois game. I would say it's fairly likely that Maryland fires Locks after the Ohio State or Rutgers game and then gives their interim a week to install new schemes before they play Illinois. Then Nebraska has a rest advantage. Then Illinois has a short-week and travels to UCLA. Illinois then has a rest advantage against Iowa but the Hawkeyes will be the best team remaining on Illinois' schedule. Finally, I think Northwestern is better than last year and will be playing in their new home stadium to close out the season. The Wildcats have a really hard schedule, and their bye is week 2! They'll likely need that game to make a bowl.
I'm worried about all of the non-Ohio State road games being very winnable for a program that hasn't gone 4-1 or 3-1 on the B1G road in a long time.
Generally, I have too many concerns on both lines to be over the Vegas line on the season. I'm also dubious about this defensive scheme being a success, especially in year one. Overall, it's a re-tooling year and going 7-5 a year after pushing all of their chips in would be incredible. I'm sure there would be fan disappointment if this season unfolds like I'm predicting blow and Illinois starts 6-2 and limps to 7-5.
UAB (home) - Win (38-10) 1-0
Duke (home) - Win (31-20) 2-0
SIU (home) - Win (52-3) 3-0
Ohio State (away) - Loss (38-14) 3-1
Purdue (home) - Win (28-23) 4-1
MSU (away) - Win (30-28) 5-1
BYE
Oregon (home) - Loss (41-17) 5-2
Maryland (away) - Win (33-13) 6-2
Nebraska (home) - Loss (34-24) 6-3
UCLA (away) - Loss (24-20) 6-4
Iowa (home) - Loss (19-18) 6-5
Northwestern (away) - Win (32-20) 7-5
The Maryland-Nebraska-UCLA-Iowa-Northwestern stretch to end the season is going to be tough. Maryland should be a bad football team but they have a front-loaded schedule and they have the bye week right before the Illinois game. I would say it's fairly likely that Maryland fires Locks after the Ohio State or Rutgers game and then gives their interim a week to install new schemes before they play Illinois. Then Nebraska has a rest advantage. Then Illinois has a short-week and travels to UCLA. Illinois then has a rest advantage against Iowa but the Hawkeyes will be the best team remaining on Illinois' schedule. Finally, I think Northwestern is better than last year and will be playing in their new home stadium to close out the season. The Wildcats have a really hard schedule, and their bye is week 2! They'll likely need that game to make a bowl.
I'm worried about all of the non-Ohio State road games being very winnable for a program that hasn't gone 4-1 or 3-1 on the B1G road in a long time.
Schedule is super favorable in that the toss-up games we have to win are towards the end of the season. Gives time for the OL to gel and hopefully stay healthy on both sides of the ball
Deceptively tough matchup - going on the road late in the schedule to UCLA
Deceptively tough matchup - going on the road late in the schedule to UCLA
Extremely difficult for me to predict this year as I feel there's an extremely large range of variability that's dependent on how well our OL and DL perform. If both perform well, I do think 9 or even 10 wins are possible. If one of them struggles 7 or 8 wins seems possible. If both struggle, I can easily see us with a 5 or 6 win season.
I'm going with a middle of the road approach while hoping for the best:
UAB (home) - Win (48-27) 1-0
Duke (home) - Win (17-16) 2-0
SIU (home) - Win (55-10) 3-0
Ohio State (away) - Loss (34-13) 3-1
Purdue (home) - Win (34-27) 4-1
MSU (away) - Loss (20-24) 4-2
BYE
Oregon (home) - Loss (48-17) 4-3
Maryland (away) - Win (24-17) 5-3
Nebraska (home) - Win (30-27) 6-3
UCLA (away) - Loss (34-23) 6-4
Iowa (home) - Loss (16-10) 6-5
Northwestern (away) - Win (31-27) 7-5
I'm going with a middle of the road approach while hoping for the best:
UAB (home) - Win (48-27) 1-0
Duke (home) - Win (17-16) 2-0
SIU (home) - Win (55-10) 3-0
Ohio State (away) - Loss (34-13) 3-1
Purdue (home) - Win (34-27) 4-1
MSU (away) - Loss (20-24) 4-2
BYE
Oregon (home) - Loss (48-17) 4-3
Maryland (away) - Win (24-17) 5-3
Nebraska (home) - Win (30-27) 6-3
UCLA (away) - Loss (34-23) 6-4
Iowa (home) - Loss (16-10) 6-5
Northwestern (away) - Win (31-27) 7-5
agree
for various reasons , we have traditionally not played well out west . I suppose it was partly due to time difference . let’s hope BB has a plan for that . perhaps it being a Friday night game helps . maybe we fly out there Wed afternoon at 4pm