2025 Illinois Football Predictions: Fighting Illini Ranked 16th in FOX Sports Ultimate 136
Cassie goes 1-on-1 with Illini football's Bret Bielema
The Illini are coming off a 10-win season. Cassie Carlson went one-on-one with head coach Bret Bielema about the upcoming season.
This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they're good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Illinois lands in my Ultimate 136.
Illinois ranking: 16
Last year’s ranking: 87
Top player: LB Gabe Jacas: Named to both the Lott Impact Trophy and Bronco Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list; was one of nine Power 4 players to record 8+ sacks and 3+ forced fumbles last season.
RJ's take: Bret Bielema coached the Illini to their first 10-win season since 2001 last year and must be counted as a program capable of contending for the Big Ten title in 2025, especially with the unprecedented Year 1 success of Indiana — for which all turnarounds will be measured.
Bielema avoids Michigan, Penn State and Oregon on the schedule, and that's not nothing given the bevy of experience returning to play for him — 19 starters are back in Champaign. If you didn't know that, I wonder if he simply hasn't tweeted about it yet?
Illinois Win Total Odds: Over 8.5 (+144) Under 8.5 (-178)
FOX 32 Sports' take: The Illini were a surprise in the 2024 college football season, and they should be even better in 2025. A 10-win season firmly shows that Bielema is the guy to lift the Illini into the new age of college football. It depends on if the returning starters can follow through.
Quarterback Luke Altmeyer is as tough as they come, but losing Zakhari Franklin and Pat Bryant to the NFL and Josh McCray to the transfer portal hurts. The onus is on Altmeyer to take another step. The defense returns enough playmakers to make you believe they won't lose a step, or they'll be even better. The biggest – and luckiest part – is the schedule, as Illinois avoids three expected contenders in the Ducks, Wolverines and Nittany Lions. The opportunity is right in front of Illinois at the moment.