2026 Season Predictions Thread

#52      
PleaseMakeABowlGame
Schedule is favorable, but it’s not the easiest schedule ever like Penn State.

Still need to play games like Oregon and Ohio State (in addition to a power 5 non conference in Duke who won the ACC last year).
 
#53      
jjv0004
Based on the last 2 years I would say they should be at least 8-4 or better.
 
#54      
RabidDawgClassic
mhuml32 said:
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.
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The UCLA game isn’t a short week as the previous game (Nebraska) is also a Friday game.
 
#55      
IlliniwekKDR
PleaseMakeABowlGame said:
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
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Always Sunny Troll GIF
 
#56      
Fly Illini Fly!
UAB, win
Duke, win
SIU, win
@OSU, loss
Purdue, win
@MSU, win
Oregon, loss
@Maryland, win
Nebraska; loss
@UCLA, win
Iowa, loss
@Northwestern, loss

…..

7-5 with a win in the bowl game to get to 8-5.
 
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#57      
Battle89
aaeismacgychel said:
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
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If it's all right I'll just piggyback on your post. I am thinking similarly. Maybe even slightly more worried than you about the bolded games, especially the last one, if the preceding two are both losses. Concerned about team morale, though granted the season-closing slumps were far more a pre-Bret thing than a Bret thing.

Also granted that I know zero about NW this year, if they are truly terrible then never mind.
 
#59      
Second place is 1st loser
RabidDawgClassic said:
I see a lot of people in this thread still have the pre-Bielema mindset. His “expect to win” mantra hasn’t rubbed off yet, I guess.
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I think anyone saying 6-6 after losing the starting QB, the top pass rusher, the top O-Lineman and a very good DB from the prior season has taken that step forward.

Brand new QB, transitioning a RB to TE, having a suspect defensive line and linebacker corp.....pre-Bielema would have created a 2-10 prognostication.

6-6 is blind trust.
 
#60      
Mr. Tibbs
RabidDawgClassic said:
I see a lot of people in this thread still have the pre-Bielema mindset. His “expect to win” mantra hasn’t rubbed off yet, I guess.
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will we lose a game thats 50/50 ? yea

but nfw we lose to Iowa at home & I don’t think Fitz beats us in his first year , even if the game is up there.

I say 8-4, with a 10-20% chance of 9-3
 
#61      
Fly Illini Fly!
Second place is 1st loser said:
I think anyone saying 6-6 after losing the starting QB, the top pass rusher, the top O-Lineman and a very good DB from the prior season has taken that step forward.

Brand new QB, transitioning a RB to TE, having a suspect defensive line and linebacker corp.....pre-Bielema would have created a 2-10 prognostication.

6-6 is blind trust.
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The talent on the roster is nowhere close to 2-10.

We've upgraded the secondary from last season. Assuming Scott doesn't get hurt again, it's gone from weakness to strength.

I also think we upgraded at running back. Transferring Feagin's 122 carries and 4.2 YPG to Laughery (5.1 YPC) and Valentine (4.7) is additon by subtraction.

Reciever is the least of my concern. We lost Beatty, but brought in Platt; returned Dixon and Clement.

2023 --> IW emerges.
2024 --> IW departs, Bryant emerges.
2025 --> Bryant departs, Beatty emerges.
2026 --> one of Platt / Dixon / Clement will emerge. Stepp has that room rolling.

The weaknesses are O-Line and D-Line (and if things do go wrong, kicker).
 
#62      
Det_Illini_fan
Second place is 1st loser said:
I think anyone saying 6-6 after losing the starting QB, the top pass rusher, the top O-Lineman and a very good DB from the prior season has taken that step forward.

Brand new QB, transitioning a RB to TE, having a suspect defensive line and linebacker corp.....pre-Bielema would have created a 2-10 prognostication.

6-6 is blind trust.
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Though, this is a bit of the new norm in college sports, with tons of change and uncertainty from a brand new line up of guys. Example: Indiana
 
#63      
Battle89
Second place is 1st loser said:
I think anyone saying 6-6 after losing the starting QB, the top pass rusher, the top O-Lineman and a very good DB from the prior season has taken that step forward.

Brand new QB, transitioning a RB to TE, having a suspect defensive line and linebacker corp.....pre-Bielema would have created a 2-10 prognostication.

6-6 is blind trust.
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And your clutch kicker
 
#66      
Second place is 1st loser
Fly Illini Fly! said:
The talent on the roster is nowhere close to 2-10.

We've upgraded the secondary from last season. Assuming Scott doesn't get hurt again, it's gone from weakness to strength.

I also think we upgraded at running back. Transferring Feagin's 122 carries and 4.2 YPG to Laughery (5.1 YPC) and Valentine (4.7) is additon by subtraction.

Reciever is the least of my concern. We lost Beatty, but brought in Platt; returned Dixon and Clement.

2023 --> IW emerges.
2024 --> IW departs, Bryant emerges.
2025 --> Bryant departs, Beatty emerges.
2026 --> one of Platt / Dixon / Clement will emerge. Stepp has that room rolling.

The weaknesses are O-Line and D-Line (and if things do go wrong, kicker).
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I agree with you about 2-10 not being the correct profile with this group.

Let's just say that we get good QB play....above average.

Saying that BOTH lines are weaknesses is pretty damning.

Weaknesses on both lines will net a losing season. It's where everything starts. If you can't block, I don't care how good the backs, receivers or QB is and it you can't rush the passer or be stout on the interior, I don't care how good the secondary is.
 
#70      
OrangeBlue98
GMAN55 said:
So far I have not seen anyone who thinks we can beat Iowa besides me
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I absolutely think we can. I don’t think this is a normal Iowa team this year. I think they take a step backward.
 
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