Illinois Football: 5 bold predictions for the rest of the Illini 2022 season

5. Bret Bielema beats his 3rd ranked opponent in two seasons

Winning hasn’t exactly been something that Illinois football fans have been used to over the past decade. But, starting last season, this program seems to be getting on the right track.

Illinois was able to get to 5-7 in 2021, which featured some big wins over some good teams. The first big win of the 2021 campaign was against No. 7 Penn State in nine overtimes. Yes, nine overtimes. That was a win that gave the Orange and Blue confidence that they could beat those ranked opponents.

The next big victory for the Illini came just two games later against Minnesota. Illinois once again went on the road and took down a top 25 program. The No. 20 ranked Golden Gophers couldn’t score on the Illini defense.

With these two big wins under the belt of Bret Bielema, I think there could be more ranked wins coming in the future. That is why I think Bielema could get his third victory over a ranked opponent in his first two years at Illinois.

As of right now, there are only two shots for Illinois to beat a ranked team. I think the first shot is the best chance, and I mentioned that in the previous slide.

No. 11 Michigan State comes to Champaign on November 5. This could possibly be a win over a top 25 program, and as I mentioned in the previous slide, it would get us into the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2011.

Illinois seems to do well against the Spartans no matter the ranking or who is on each team. The Illini and Spartans have split the last six matchups, and Illinois has won two in a row in the series. This is a chance for Illinois to emerge as a true contender in the Big Ten West and on the national scene.