Bowl or bust? What the experts think about Illinois football in 2024

The Illinois Fighting Illini are college football’s version of a Rorschach test. Those who are optimistic see opportunity and a likely bowl game. The pessimists see danger lurking.

The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Such is predicting the outcome of the Fighting Illini season in the new-look Big Ten Conference for 2024. Nearly every expert prognosticator picks Illinois to finish between five and six wins, with betting sites laying out the ever-so-tempting 5.5 over/under line for Illini victories.

How will Illinois football do in 2024? Best-case scenario | Worst-case scenario

We took a spin around the Internet to find out what some of the top college football news sources had to say about the Illini in 2024:

The longtime college sports publication picked Illinois to finish 15th of 18 in the Big Ten Conference, which added four west coast teams in 2024 — Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.

“Both sides of the ball need attention after 2023,” Athlon wrote of the Illini. “The defense gave up 12.8 points a game in 2022 but watched that total climb to 29.4 last fall.”

Athlon pointed out defensive losses, but also that a few key transfers should stabilize. The offense, meanwhile, gets three offensive line starters back and Athlon says quarterback Luke Altmyer is “expected to take a step forward” while running back Kaden Feagin is a “rising star.”

“More optimism surrounds the offense going into 2024,” wrote Athlon.

Oct 21, 2023; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Kaden Feagin (3) scores a touchdown during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The CBS Sports betting writer also picked the Illini at 5-7, but set an optimistic tone. He also set the over/under at 5.5 wins, expecting victories against Eastern Illinois, Central…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bowl-bust-experts-think-illinois-082140057.html

Author : Journal Star

Publish date : 2024-08-24 08:21:40

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