Illinois Football: Illini game-by-game predictions for the 2018 season

IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
1 of 13
Illinois football
IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 07: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 7, 2017 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

The Illinois football team is approaching the start of the 2018 campaign and it is time to turn around this great program.

I know no one wants to travel back to 2017 but we are going to do so because I want everyone to remember the bad times. Remember these times like they were yesterday because when the good times happen, we need to appreciate and cherish them.

Illinois finished the 2017 season 2-10 and that is with winning the first two games of the season against Ball State and Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers victory was actually a solid win. But, Illinois then hit a 10-game losing streak that we still have to live with today. Entering the 2018 season, this losing streak should end with the first game of the season.

There is so much to look forward to in 2018. Illinois actually has quarterback depth and they are all looking solid in training camp. I might actually say there is a good quarterback behind center for the first time in nearly a half-decade. The defensive and offensive lines are both another year older and better. I love the secondary for the Illini. They continue to improve. Illinois running back and wide receiver corps also bring something special to the table. Good things are going to happen in 2018, you just wait and see.

Here is the 2018 schedule prediction for the Illini.