There is a lot to love about the Illinois football program as the first game against Western Illinois nears.
If you didn’t know, the Illini won 10 games last season. I write about it in nearly every article that pertains to football. Do you know why?
So fans don’t let that memory drift away.
Just like I don’t want Illinois fans to forget about the bad times of going winless or being happy just not to be eliminated from bowl eligibility in November, Illinois fans should also not be fearful of the good times of winning 10 games and taking down a rising SEC power in South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl.
But with that success last season comes a word that some Illinois football fans are terrified of.
Expectations.
Entering 2025, there have already been plenty of expectations bestowed upon our beloved Orange and Blue. Winning 10 games in a season is one thing, but when you return 16 out of 22 starters, most in the Big Ten, then the expectations are cranked up to another level.
And then you have what happened on Monday afternoon. While we are still weeks away from the opening kickoff, Illinois got another spoonful of expectations thrown onto their plate.
The preseason coaches' poll top 25 was released. Texas takes the top spot with Big Ten foes Ohio State and Penn State rounding out No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Oregon is the other Big Ten team in the top 10, sitting at No. 7.
Guess what, folks? Illinois is the next Big Ten team ranked. Yeah, that isn’t a typo. Checking in at No. 12 in the country, NO. 12!!!, is indeed the Fighting Illini of Illinois.
Illinois football with expectations is something to be excited about
So, as soon as the poll was released on Monday, I posted a little excited post on social media because being No. 12 should get the fanbase excited. Illinois is a top 15 team to start the 2025 campaign.
The first comment on the post was, “too high…rather be under radar.”
This might be one of the wildest comments I’ve ever seen by an Illinois fan. Starting further back only makes it tougher for Illinois to make the College Football Playoff. We need to start as close to the top spot as possible. This gives us some type of cushion to be able to rebound if we falter once or even twice.
But moreover, as an Illinois fan, why would you want to be under the radar? After decades of just awful football, I would hope all Illini fans would want to scream from the mountaintops that we are one of the best teams in the college game.
Even if the Illini stumble this season and don’t finish where we all expect them to finish, having expectations is not a bad thing. It is a bar to set. A level of competence that fans expect each season. Having expectations means that Illinois matters as a program. That is something we couldn’t say more than a couple of times since the turn of the century. Let’s not shun the expectations. Embrace them, remember them.