Worst-case scenario for Illinois football? One Big Ten win and a very hot seat

We brightened up the 2024 college football preseason this week when we laid out the best-case scenario for the Illinois football season.

Let’s get a little more bleak.

The Illini will kick off the 2024 season on Aug. 29 against in-state program Eastern Illinois at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. And no matter how pessimistic you are about the Illinois season, it’s hard to imagine the Illini walk away without a win to begin the fourth year under Bret Bielema.

From there, the wheels could fall off pretty fast. Bielema began his Illini tenure with a 5-7 season in 2021; pushed the Illini to eight wins and a bowl in 2022; and last season fell back to 5-7. Prognosticators expect Illinois to finish around that same .500 mark.

Illinois football predictions 2024: Game-by-game picks based on ESPN matchup predictor

But what’s the worst-case scenario? Let’s take a look.

What is Illinois football’s worst-case scenario for the 2024 season?

Illinois’ floor is 3-9 overall, with a 1-8 Big Ten record — and a very hot seat.

Illinois should win two of its three nonconference games. All of them are at home, with two against EIU and Central Michigan. The toughest noncon is a Sept. 7 game against Kansas, picked to finish near the top of the reworked Big 12 Conference. Easy to see the Illini dropping that one.

After that, Illinois could lose all four Big Ten games considered a coin flip: Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan State and Northwestern. But we’ll give them at least one of those — most likely the Oct. 12 home game against the Boilermakers. Beyond that, Illinois also has a couple of tough Big Ten road games at Nebraska and Rutgers, both games the Illini could lose.

Illinois football: The Illini’s three most important games in 2024 season

As for the rest of the schedule? Well, we’re talking worst-case scenario here. The Illini are not beating Oregon,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/worst-case-scenario-illinois-football-081621922.html

Author : Journal Star

Publish date : 2024-08-22 08:16:21

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