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Illinois Football: Has Lovie Smith done enough to compete in Big Ten West?

By Dante Pryor

COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 27: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field on October 27, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - OCTOBER 27: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field on October 27, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /
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LINCOLN, NE – OCTOBER 01: Running back Reggie Corbin #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini run from cornerback Joshua Kalu #10 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska defeated Illinois 31-16. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE – OCTOBER 01: Running back Reggie Corbin #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini run from cornerback Joshua Kalu #10 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nebraska defeated Illinois 31-16. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /

How will the Fighting Illini fare in 2019?

  • Week 1: BYE
  • Week 2: Illinois State (Sept. 5)
  • Week 3: UConn (Sept. 12)
  • Week 4: Bowling Green (Sept. 19)
  • Week 5: BYE
  • Week 6: at Rutgers (Oct. 3)
  • Week 7: at Nebraska (Oct. 10)
  • Week 8: Purdue (Oct. 17)
  • Week 9: Minnesota (Oct. 24)
  • Week 10: at Wisconsin (Oct. 31)
  • Week 11: Iowa (Nov. 7)
  • Week 12: at Indiana (Nov. 14)
  • Week 13: Ohio State (Nov. 21)
  • Week 14: at Northwestern (Nov. 28)

Everyone in the Big Ten West got better. Hunter Johnson is eligible to play for Northwestern, Graham Mertz is arguably the most talented quarterback recruit Wisconsin has ever had, Minnesota (one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten) is coming off of a bowl win, and Nebraska gets Adrian Martinez back healthy. Those are just a few examples of how everyone got better around Illinois.

You don’t improve in a vacuum, everyone else gets better too.

The question becomes, “Where are the wins going to come from?”

Are the Illini still in a position where wins don’t matter yet? One thing is for sure, they have to be more competitive in their losses.

Of their eight losses, only two were by one possession (South Florida and Northwestern). In their other six losses, the Illini gave up over 40 points and 60 or more three times. They have to be more competitive on defense. You can’t give up as many points as they did, especially in conference play.

Prediction: 4-8, 1-8 Big Ten

There is still a lot of roster building Lovie Smith and his staff have to do on both sides of the ball so expect another four-win season in Champagne. However, look for them to be more competitive and surrender fewer points on defense.

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