Illinois Football: Optimism from Illini fans after win over Nebraska

Illinois football started their 2021 campaign off with a win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers last Saturday.

This was the second straight season the Illini were able to take down the Cornhuskers. With the win over Nebraska, Illinois moves to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten. But, more importantly, they move to 1-0 in the new Bret Bielema era.

In 2016, Illinois made a splash hire of sorts by bringing in former Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith. No one wants a repeat of that failed revamp, so having Bielema get on the right track early on is something that excited many Illini fans.

How do fans feel after the Illinois football team’s first game?

It is extremely early in the season and early in the Bielema era, but Illinois fans seem to be onboard with what is happening in Champaign.

In a poll hosted by the Writing Illini, the vast majority of fans had positive thoughts about the win against Nebraska. In fact, 80.5% of fans in the poll thought the Illinois win was a “good win” or a “huge win for the program”.

Having positive vibes moving into the official week one is important. All Illinois fans want this to be the right hire by athletic director, Josh Whitman. It needs to be the right hire so we aren’t set back another five years. A win on Saturday is a step in the right direction and, clearly, many fans feel that way.

But there were some skeptics among us. 5.8% of the people who voted in the poll said the team “should have won anyway”. The final 13.6% of fans still are in a wait-and-see pattern as they voted “show me more”.

No matter how you voted in the poll one thing is for sure, a win is a good thing and a step in the right direction. Bielema is 1-0 as the head coach of the Illini. Let’s make that number 2-0 this weekend.