Illinois Fighting Illini Football News - Page 2

Bret Bielema had some praises to give to an assistant coach following the No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini’s 45-19 win over the Duke Blue Devils. Illinois improved to a 2-0 record on the season, outscoring their first two opponents 97-22. While the opener was against Western Illinois, it gives the Fighting Illini momentum to have […]

Illinois football is riding a wave of momentum in 2025. Just a few months after rewarding head coach Bret Bielema with a six-year extension following the program’s first 10-win season in over two decades, the Fighting Illini opened their new campaign in style. Bielema, who helped bring Illinois back into the national conversation, now looks […]

The college football season officially got underway last weekend when Iowa State and Kansas State kicked things off in Ireland. However, Big Ten football has not started yet, but we are just a couple days away. The Big Ten will play its first games of the season on Thursday, and with that, the quest for […]

The 2025 Illinois football team has high expectations for this season after finishing the 2024 season well. One of the biggest reasons the Fighting Illini have such high expectations this year is that Luke Altmyer is back under center after having a stellar year in 2024. Head coach Brett Bielema has a loaded team, and […]

Illinois football comes into the 2025 season with its highest preseason ranking since 1990. They come into the season ranked 12th in the AP Top 25, their best since starting the season 11th in 1990. This is just the seventh time they have been ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 since 1970. Hopes are […]

The college football season is right around the corner, and it is going to be an exciting one in the Big Ten. The conference is loaded with good teams, and there are high expectations after back-to-back national championships. Michigan won it all in 2023, and Ohio State captured the crown last season. There should be […]

The college football season is right around the corner, and it is going to be an exciting one in the Big Ten. The conference is loaded with good teams, and there are high expectations after back-to-back national championships. Michigan won it all in 2023, and Ohio State captured the crown last season. There should be […]

The college football season is right around the corner, and it is going to be an exciting one in the Big Ten. The conference is loaded with good teams, and there are high expectations after back-to-back national championships. Michigan won it all in 2023, and Ohio State captured the crown last season. There should be […]

The college football season is right around the corner, and it is going to be an exciting one in the Big Ten. The conference is loaded with good teams, and there are high expectations after back-to-back national championships. Michigan won it all in 2023, and Ohio State captured the crown last season. There should be […]

Most people would call the SEC the king of college football, but there’s no question that the Big Ten has been right on their heels in recent years. Especially after the recent conference realignment, specifically the addition of Oregon, the Big Ten is loaded with powerhouses that should make for an action-packed 2025 season. Ohio […]

The Illinois football team has never been viewed as a true College Football Playoff contender before, but head coach Bret Bielema is starting to change that. The Fighting Illini have quietly been getting better and better every year, and last year, it really started to show. Illinois finished the season with 10 wins, including an […]

When a college football player receives communication from another team about playing for said team before the player has entered the transfer portal, it is called tampering. Tampering is a big problem in college sports, and it is against the rules. However, it’s abundantly clear that it happens all the time, and there are rarely […]

Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema took another shot at the SEC amid College Football Playoff expansion talks. The new twelve-team field was a clear success, with several programs given realistic access to contend for a national championship. There are, however, two clear super conferences in the Big Ten and SEC, which is a shame, […]

This offseason, a bomb went off in the college football world when quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the Tennessee Volunteers over an NIL dispute. It was significant because it was the first dispute surrounding NIL. When it happened, rumors started swirling about who the Volunteers would potentially grab out of the Transfer Portal. One of the […]

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema has a way with words and deeds. Last year, Bielema extended a T-Bar gesture to South Carolina coach Shane Beamer during the Citrus Bowl in a perceived taunt. Now, he is taking his ire out on the SEC, with his fingers on a keypad doing the talking. On Friday, Bielema […]

Wednesday has been a big day for the Illinois football team on the recruiting trail, and its latest commitment will play for the Illinois basketball team as well. Four-star athlete Nasir Rankin announced his commitment to the Fighting Illini on Wednesday, and he will play both football and basketball. He is viewed as a better […]

The Illinois football team picked up a big commitment on Wednesday as three-star 2026 defensive lineman King Liggins announced that he will play for Bret Bielema and the Fighting Illini. The Chicago native was down to Illinois and Wisconsin, and he decided that he will play for his home-state school. “BREAKING: Class of 2026 DL […]

Bret Bielema guided Illinois football to its first 10-win campaign in 23 years last season, and the program is rewarding him in a big way. The veteran head coach has agreed to a six-year contract extension with an annual salary that starts at $7.7 million, per On3 Sports. The Fighting Illini have weathered plenty of […]

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs made a solid addition to the offense by landing running back Josh McCray from the transfer portal. McCray announced that he signed with the Bulldogs on Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Max Olsen. He leaves the Illinois Fighting Illini, having represented them for four seasons from 2021 to 2024. As […]

Illinois football once secured a massive recruiting win in February by landing a four-star. The Illini edged Michigan and Texas A&M for this prospect. That defensive back has now flipped to an SEC power in a wild twist Saturday. The Fighting Illini lost cornerback Victor Singleton to Texas A&M, with Hayes Fawcett of On3 confirming […]

Illinois football rarely swoops up recruiting wins over Texas A&M and Big 10 rival Michigan. Yet the Fighting Illini delivered a massive coup on Saturday involving an elite four-star cornerback talent. Illinois earned a verbal commitment from Victor Singleton of Toledo, Ohio, with Hayes Fawcett of On3.com confirming the move. Singleton becomes a rare four-star […]

The latest chapter of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing saga came to light last night as reports surfaced regarding the Michigan football team and their intention to fight back on the NCAA. The story got people talking about the sign-stealing situation again, and Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema decided to take a shot at former […]

Bret Bielema has been feeling quite bold lately. Almost a month after getting into a heated exchange with South Carolina’s Shane Beamer during the Citrus Bowl, the Illinois football head coach is lambasting his former Big Ten foe, current Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh. An old soundbite resurfaced, and it is causing people to […]

Now that the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff has concluded, it’s never too early to start looking ahead to the 2026 event. The expanded format brought plenty of surprises, thanks to the addition of eight more teams from the previous four-team model. Among the biggest surprises were the unexpected programs that made it into the […]

The Illinois football team ended the season on a high note as they took down South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl on Tuesday. Both of these teams entered the game ranked and they both had three losses, but only the Gamecocks were being talked about as a College Football Playoff snub. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer […]

A lot of people will tell you that bowl games don’t matter, but don’t tell that to Bret Bielema and Shane Beamer. The Illinois football team took on South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl on Tuesday, and it was clear that both of those teams wanted to win badly. In fact, things got so heated […]

There was plenty of drama during the Illinois Fighting Illini’s 21-17 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Citrus Bowl, but there were also some fireworks pregame in the form of … a wedding on the field. Yes, that’s right, a couple got married at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. See for yourself: “The opportunity […]

It’ll be a battle of two 9-3 teams as the South Carolina Gamecocks face the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. South Carolina will have some motivation for this game, as they felt they should be included in the College Football Playoff but were on the outside looking in. The transfer portal hasn’t […]

Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer made a headline-grabbing announcement on Saturday during the men’s basketball game against No. 1 Tennessee. In front of a sold-out State Farm Center, Altmyer confirmed his decision to stay with the program for the 2025 season, delivering a crucial boost for head coach Bret Bielema and Illinois football. “Building […]

The Georgia and Georgia Tech football teams completed one of the most iconic games in recent memory on Nov. 29, 2024. Georgia was down big throughout the majority of the game against their in-state rival, but they mounted an epic comeback that didn’t end until after eight overtimes. The lengthy game was not only one […]

It is a Big Ten rivalry as Illinois faces Northwestern. It is time to continue our college football odds series with an Illinois-Northwestern prediction and pick. Illinois-Northwestern Last Game – Matchup History Illinois comes into the game sitting at 8-3 on the year, but 5-3 in conference play. They have now won two in a […]

A lot of college football teams suffered a heartbreaking loss in Week 13 but perhaps none had it worse than Rutgers. In a moment that has since gone viral, head coach Greg Schiano called a timeout to ice Illinois kicker Ethan Moczulski on his 58-yard game-winning attempt, only to see Brett Bielema change his mind […]

Fans of both the Chicago Bears and Illinois football are no stranger to heartbreaking losses, and it looked like the Fighting Illini were going to suffer another one against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday. Instead, Illinois pulled off a miracle on fourth-and-13 in the final seconds, with Luke Altmeyer hitting Pat Bryant for a […]

Illinois entered a matchup with Oregon with a 6-1 record and a chance of staying in the Big Ten race if they could pull off a massive upset. However, it wasn’t in the cards, and the loss carried over to the following game when they dropped another at home against Minnesota. Illinois has already blown […]

Michigan State will attempt to find two more wins in their remaining three games to get bowl eligibility. Illinois presents one of the most difficult challenges in their remaining schedule, especially after a bye week. The Spartans have a good history against the Fighting Illini, but the programs have gotten closer to each other in […]

We’re back once again with our weekly College Football betting predictions and picks as we head towards the Big 10 Conference for this next tilt. The Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-3) will take on the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini (6-2) in a close matchup on the betting lines. It is time to continue our college […]

These are two of the better teams in the Big Ten. Oregon is a juggernaut and the top-ranked team, while Illinois has seen a big improvement this season. It is time to continue our college football odds series with an Illinois-Oregon prediction and pick. Illinois has been a great story this season. They are 6-1 […]

The Michigan football team has another big road game this week as they will be taking on #22 Illinois. The Fighting Illini are having a great year so far as they have just one loss, and they are trying to make a push for the College Football Playoff. The Wolverines suffered their second loss of […]

Week seven of the college football season was a fantastic one, and we have another great slate for week eight. Now that conference play is in full swing, we are seeing numerous great matchups every weekend. We’re into the best time of the year, and the second half of the season is sure to bring […]