Illinois Football: 2020 season game-by-game predictions for the Illini

I think we all see the starting line for the Illinois football 2020 campaign.

It is finally here. I wasn’t sure we would get to this point. Illinois football is going to kick off their 2020 season against No. 16 Wisconsin under the lights on Friday night, October 23.

Coming off a 6-6 season that featured the Illini making a bowl game for the first time in a half-decade, the expectations are higher than normal. The trend had been to become bowl eligible and make games respectable.

That trend has changed. As a fan, I now want to win more games and be a top 25 team. With a truncated schedule, the record could look a little weird considering we are only playing conference competition. So, a cakewalk non-conference can’t pad the record.

Let’s dive deeper into the record books. So, in 2019, Illinois had four Big Ten wins. Did you know that was the most conference wins the Illini have had since the 2010 campaign where we were 4-4 in conference play?

I want an even better year in 2020, though. You have to go back to 2007 to find the last time Illinois had a winning Big Ten record in a season. That is the year the Illini made the Rose Bowl. That is how long this slump has been for the Orange and Blue.

Since the season is so close to starting, the team at the Writing Illini wanted to give their predictions on how the season will unfold.

Here are the 2020 season game-by-game predictions for the Illini.