Illinois Football: Illini are winning the games they are projected to win

The Illinois football team dropped to 3-4 on the season after a 49-20 loss to the No. 23 ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

Every loss hurts but this isn’t an unexpected loss for this Illini program. The Badgers are a good team who had national title hopes to begin the season. They also have a Heisman Trophy candidate at running back as well.

But, after this loss, there were some fans who wanted to pack up their bags and jump off the bandwagon. They want the coaching staff gone and for Josh Whitman to hit the restart button. I am not here to invalidate those feelings. I am here to maybe help you take a step back and realize that the sky isn’t falling for this Orange and Blue program.

Let’s take a look at the schedule. Illinois has won three out of their seven contests. They are still bowl eligible as of right now but that might be a lofty goal looking at what has happened the last two games. But, the schedule tells a story as well.

So far this season, Illinois has been favored in three games. They were projected to beat Kent State, Western Illinois and Rutgers. These are actually the three wins the Illini have this season. They have managed to beat the teams they were supposed to beat.

In every other game – South Florida, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin – the Illini have been double-digit underdogs. The closest line was against the Boilermakers, and I can argue that was the ugliest game as far as competitiveness.

So, while there are some Illinois fans who are upset that we are 3-4, the team isn’t on the wrong track. They have won the games they were projected to win and lost the games they were underdogs in. It would have been really nice to knock off South Florida was with a 14-point favorite. That would have really helped the cause for a bowl this season.

Illinois football isn’t in peril. They have a coaching staff that continues to build this team up. They head into the game this Saturday against Maryland as 17.5-point underdogs. I am hoping to get a win on the east coast, though. I think they can pull it off.