CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Pat Embleton has heard the refrain over and over again in his 13 years here.
Typical Illinois.
Every time the program takes one step forward, it takes two steps back. Long-time fans have become accustomed to bracing for the anvil to drop from the sky once they finally let their guard down and enjoy Illinois football.
In 2001, the Fighting Illini won 10 games and went to the Sugar Bowl, only to miss a bowl the next five seasons.
Typical Illinois.
Ron Zook got it back on track in 2007, won nine games and took the Illini to their first Rose Bowl since 1984. And then typical Illinois hit and the program missed a bowl the next two seasons and largely wandered in the wilderness until Bret Bielema arrived in 2021.
You can understand then why Illinois fans might still be cautious about a team that will open the season at No. 12 in the country – their highest preseason ranking in more than 30 years – with a real chance to make the College Football Playoff if everything goes right. The hype is building and they want to believe, but they are still worried about getting hurt and have the scars to prove it.
Embleton, who is on his fifth coach at Illinois, certainly gets it. The Illinois general manager has lived it. There’s one huge difference this time around, though, he says.
“Our head football coach really doesn’t give a shit about that,” Embleton told CBS Sports. “You have to respect the history, but prepare for the future. That is a losing mindset, and we don’t have that in this building.”
Big Ten expert picks 2025: Most overrated and underrated teams, projected order of finish, bold predictions
Tom Fornelli …
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/after-a-generation-of-stumbles-can-illinois-finally-cash-in-on-big-preseason-expectations/
Author : John Talty
Publish date : 2025-08-19 18:47:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
