Big Ten Football: 5 bold predictions for the 2017 season
4. Illini go bowling
The Illinois Fighting Illini last made a bowl game in 2014 and just two since 2011 — which was their last postseason victory. Undergoing a bit of rebuild would be a bit of understatement right now as the team saw just three wins a year ago.
The Illini are not quite where they need to be yet, but they are moving in the right direction and have the right man in charge leading them in Lovie Smith.
Illinois’ schedule in 2017 seems to just what they need to get things going in the right direction and everyone buying into what’s being done in Champaign. The Illini will have a great (and likely) chance to start the season 2-0 before heading to Tampa Bay and partaking in a game they will realistically come up short in against South Florida.
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The first half of the Big Ten schedule will be without any of the big dogs in the league and will bode as a major opportunity to get some confidence under their belt. Of course, opening up against the Nebraska Cornhuskers is far from a cakewalk, but at the same time- a night game in the league home opener against a respectable opponent is the perfect chance to jumpstart their season.
The Illini will then go at Iowa, home against Rutgers, and at Minnesota before hosting Wisconsin. A challenging string of games, if the Illini can go 2-3 in their first five that would mean they would need to go just 2-2 in their remaining four against Purdue, Indiana, Ohio State, and Northwestern to become bowl eligible.
It will be a tough task for the Illini to return to the postseason, but 2017 is as good of a time to get started- right?