NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
The Illinois football team has never been viewed as a true College Football Playoff contender before, but head coach Bret Bielema is starting to change that. The Fighting Illini have quietly been getting better and better every year, and last year, it really started to show. Illinois finished the season with 10 wins, including an impressive bowl game victory against a good South Carolina team. The Fighting Illini have a lot of good talent back, and their schedule sets up nicely for a potential CFP run.
It didn’t happen overnight, but Bret Bielema has built the Illinois football team into a legit College Football Playoff contender ahead of the 2025 season. College football analyst Joel Klatt recently named the 10 teams that are most likely to make their first CFP appearance, and he gave the Fighting Illini the top spot.
“He [Bret Bielema] has built this team into what he wants. Physical, tough,” Klatt said during an episode of his podcast. “They win against South Carolina in the bowl game. They show the level that they can get to. Sixteen starters are back, nine on offense, seven on defense. Luke Altmyer is back for his third season. We’ve seen what returning production, returning experience does, in particular at the quarterback position. Altmyer Being back is huge. The entire offensive line is back in front of him. … The defense should be solid.”
The one concern that Joel Klatt has for this Illinois team is the wide receiver position. However, there is one transfer that he is excited about.
“The question is that wide receiver, they added Hudson Clement from West Virginia,” Klatt said. “He had 11 for 166 and two touchdowns in his last game for West Virginia last year in the bowl game against Memphis. So the guy can play.”
Illinois has a good team, and it also has a very favorable schedule. The Fighting…
Source link : https://clutchpoints.com/ncaa-football/illinois-football-news-joel-klatt-makes-bold-fighting-illini-cfp-prediction-ahead-2025-season
Author :
Publish date : 2025-07-08 01:49:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
