Bret Bielema enters a big 2026 campaign that is filled with some uncertainty for the Illinois football team.
Roster turnover has affected the Illini, as numerous key positions were filled this offseason. Most notably, Luke Altmyer is no longer behind center.
While Altmyer is trying to find his way in the NFL, Illinois worked quickly and replaced him with East Carolina transfer Katin Houser. He dabbled in the Big Ten for a couple of seasons before playing his last two years with the Pirates. Now, Houser looks to keep Illinois’ hot streak going.
Many Illinois fans think Houser is going to be a solid option for the Orange and Blue, but the gambling odds don’t say as much.
In the most recent DraftKings odds to win the Heisman Trophy, Houser does make the list, unlike four other teams in the Big Ten. He checks in at 200-1 to take home the coveted prize. He has the 10th-best odds in the conference.
Those are pretty long odds to win the Heisman, but what these odds makers lay out for Illinois is how gettable the 2026 schedule really is for the program.
So, there are nine players with better odds than Houser to win the Heisman. Illinois only plays four of those quarterbacks. Two out of those four quarterbacks are No. 8 and No. 9 on the list in UCLA's Nico Iamaleava and Nebraska's Anthony Colandrea, respectively.
To break it down even further, the Illinois defense has to game plan for just two out of the top seven Big Ten quarterbacks with the best odds to win the Heisman. Those two quarterbacks are No. 1 Dante Moore (10-1) for Oregon and No. 2 Julian Sayin (12-1) for Ohio State.
Illinois avoids No. 3 Josh Hoover (13-1) for Indiana, No. 4 Jayden Maiava (25-1) for USC, No. 5 Bryce Underwood (38-1) for Michigan, No. 6 Rocco Becht (55-1) for Penn State, and No. 7 Demond Williams Jr. (55-1) for Washington.
That could be much worse for the Illini. What is intriguing is that we also play some of the worst quarterbacks in the Big Ten.
The schedule for 2026 includes four of the bottom five quarterbacks in betting odds in the conference. Illinois gets to play Aidan Chiles (400-1) for Northwestern, Iowa’s and Rutgers quarterback battle, which doesn’t have betting odds, and Purdue’s Ryan Browne, who also doesn’t register on the Heisman Trophy betting odds.
Sprinkled in the middle of all of those numbers is Illinois’ matchup against Maryland. Malik Washington (300-1) awaits the Illini defense.
Honestly, you couldn’t ask for a better schedule for the 2026 season. Illinois has two of the elite quarterbacks in the country, but then the drop-off happens. There is a golden opportunity for us to feast.
Illinois gets somewhat of a fresh start after losing four games last season
It is exciting to see that the Illinois defense, especially the secondary, will get some reprieve throughout the 2026 season. There is a real chance for the Illini to have a pretty good record in the Big Ten.
Thankfully, we don’t have to play most of the teams we lost to last season.
Illinois had four losses in 2025, which included Indiana, Ohio State, Washington, and Wisconsin. We only play one of those teams this season, and that is the Buckeyes on the road in Columbus. Besides that game, Illinois gets to avoid three teams that we struggled against and couldn’t figure out.
Looking at the non-conference and the level of quarterback we play in the Big Ten, Illinois is poised to have a big year. It all hinges on the play of Houser, though. If he can come out and look solid this season, nine or 10 wins is definitely not out of the question.
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