Just a year ago, Illinois football was coming off of an 8-4 regular season and ReliaQuest Bowl appearance. The Illini had a lot of talent leaving but felt good about what was coming in. Head coach Bret Bielema believed he had a solid recruiting cycle, 27 freshmen deep, with some real talent headlining the class. The Big Ten West was down in its final year, giving the Illini hope for another successful season.

The good vibes and confidence lasted throughout the offseason, but September came and brought the beginning of a tumultuous season. Talented four-star transfer quarterback Luke Altmyer struggled with turnovers early while Illinois’ second-best transfer, safety Demetrius Hill, tore his ACL in the first game. That was only the beginning, as coaching inconsistencies and poor play at multiple positions led to an unenthusiastic 5-7 finish, capped by a 45-43 loss to their in-state rivals.

It gets no easier from here with the conference additions and elimination of divisions. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington join the Big Ten, all of whom spent at least six weeks in the AP poll this year. New obstacles continue to stack up, as without divisions to separate teams, the Illini will face Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State more often now as well. So, how does Illinois stay competitive?

First, get healthy. The projected starting safety duo played three halves of football combined. The “running back by committee” didn’t run by committee, as the top three backs combined to miss 14 games throughout the season. Finally, the starting quarterback got concussed with three weeks remaining, and Illinois lost its final two games with the backup by two points each.

Just having the starters on the field instantly propels the Illini ahead of where they finished this year talent-wise. Every other problem from 2023 falls on the coaching staff, starting with Bielema. To the portion of the fanbase calling for him to be fired, you are ridiculous. Wisconsin hovered around 10 wins every year when Bret was in Madison; he’s a good coach. Still, he deserves some blame for 2023, and he will learn from it.

The incoming recruiting class wasn’t as deep as the coaching staff thought and too many inexperienced players were relied upon. The secondary and offensive line position groups just didn’t have enough Big Ten caliber players to step onto the field, plain and simple. Bielema has already started attacking these groups this offseason, grabbing inside lineman Andrew Dennis, his highest-ranked recruit since he’s been at Illinois. The coaching staff struggled for sure, but sometimes, when the players on the field shouldn’t be out there, there’s nothing you can do except watch. Attacking recruitment and the transfer portal is a necessity with the added competition.

All seven of the Big Ten powers mentioned above had better recruitment rankings than the Illini last season, according to 247 Sports, and all except UCLA found themselves top 23 in the country. High school talent is important for structure, but the top teams also land big-time transfers. Oregon and Washington each had transfer quarterbacks this year who finished in the top three of Heisman voting. The Illini noticed and responded early this offseason, adding the top JUCO edge rusher and an FCS All-American through the portal, but that’s just a start.

Stocking the lineups with more talent is big, but now the coaches have no excuse. At face value, the Illini coordinators don’t stack up well for competing with the rest of the Big Ten. The power schools mentioned throughout this article produce elite play-callers who often leave for head coaching jobs. Barry Lunney Jr. and Aaron Henry definitely didn’t look like head coach material this year and need to improve their game plans to hang with their competition.

The last thing that the Illini need to improve is beyond their control. A strength of every good team in the Big Ten, Iowa included, is home-field advantage. They sell out their stadium every game, are loud and make opponents’ lives difficult. Memorial Stadium doesn’t provide that harsh environment yet, and it impacts the outcome of games.

If the 12-team playoff began this year, the Big Ten would have five teams, so even major improvements don’t necessarily elevate the Illini to the top of the conference. However, the Illini boast talent at quarterback, running back and receiver, with the offensive line improving. Defense is another story and one to watch as we count down the months until the opening kickoff. No matter what, this should be one of the most exciting Big Ten seasons ever, with talent and contenders at every turn.

@benfader7

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