Illini HC Bret Bielema Previews Primetime Matchup vs. #4 UCLA
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Illinois head coach Bret Bielema joins Fox Chicago's Cassie Carlson to break down a massive Friday night showdown on FOX against undefeated UCLA at the historic Rose Bowl. Bielema discusses the team's four-game win streak, why quarterback Katin Houser shares a similar leadership presence to Russell Wilson, the story behind their "Charlie Brown" fake field goal vs. Nebraska, and his thoughts on the expanded college football playoff format. Plus, a scouting report on the Bruins and what it takes to pull off the upset on the West Coast.

Illinois football: Illini beat Maryland on walk-off field goal

The Illini have struggled to put away struggling teams like Michigan State and Maryland, but Illinois now has three straight wins and its QB is back.

Illinois football: Second-half 2 QB rotation lifts as Illini beats Oregon 21-10

Michael Clayton II became only the sixth freshman in program history to start at QB, sharing duties in the second half with Carson Boyd, as the Illini beat the Ducks.

The Katin Houser-Collin Dixon connection grows as Illinois beats Southern Illinois

Has Illinois improved enough in those areas as it heads into Big Ten play? It was difficult to tell facing an FCS opponent, but encouraging nonetheless in Saturday's win.

University of Illinois unveils historic strategic plan: Chancellor Charles Isbell explains
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The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign just dropped "Illinois Leads," a massive new strategic plan for the future! Chancellor Charles Isbell breaks down how the university is preparing students for AI, workforce changes and building new partnerships in Chicago.

The best and worst-case scenarios in 2026 for Notre Dame, Illinois, NIU and Northwestern

College football returns this weekend, and the local teams could cover each end of the spectrum. Here are the best- and worst-case scenarios for Notre Dame, Illinois, NIU and Northwestern in 2026.

Illinois football: Preview and predictions for the Illini in 2026

Here’s a preview of the Fighting Illini’s football’s upcoming 2026 season, where Illinois eyes to continue its line of success under Bret Bielema.

1-on-1 with Bret Bielema: "We have one of the best homefield advantages in the Big Ten" | Fox Chicago Sports
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Sam Panayotovich goes 1-on-1 with Illini head football coach Bret Bielema at Big Ten Media day. Bielema talks about the challenges of sustaining success and needing to win road games to take the next step. Also, Bielema charts the growth of the Illini program and how he's helped create one of the biggest homefield advantages in the Big Ten. Plus, how has the Big Ten been able to catch the SEC in championship success?

Ranking the 10 most-anticipated college football games for the 2026 season

Here's how we rank the 10 most-anticipated college football games for the upcoming 2026 season between Notre Dame, Northwestern, NIU and Illinois.

From Notre Dame to NIU, the 4 most important college football transfer portal additions

Here are the most important transfer portal addition for Illinois, Notre Dame, Northwestern and Northern Illinois from this past offseason as the 2026 season approaches.

What Illinois football learned from a visit with Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson

Bret Bielema has delivered Illinois football 19 wins in the past two seasons. He got a chance to observe Bears coach Ben Johnson in OTAs in May, and reflected on that experience.

'Seeing Caleb Williams up close is impressive': 1-on-1 with Bret Bielema | Chicago Sports Tonight
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It's Illini night at Wrigley Field and Tina Nguyen goes 1-on-1 with head football coach Bret Beliema. They preview the Illini's upcoming season and the team's expectations heading into 2026. Bielema, who grew up as a Bears fan, also talks about attending Bears practice last week and what it was like to watch Caleb Williams in person.