The college football world readily acknowledges how the Illinois Fighting Illini surprised the nation. Now, can Bret Bielema live up to the hype in 2025? Or will they fade away into Big Ten obscurity?

Bob Asmussen is a college football reporter and columnist for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-393-8248 or [email protected]. If college football had a commissioner — it desperately ...

Trae Taylor is from Lake in the Hills, Illinois and one of the top quarterback recruits in the 2027 class.And he's ...

Here is a helpful hint for those keeping track of Bret Bielema's hires for Illinois football: save everyone's contact info. You never know when they might return. Like Nate McNeal, who Bielema rehired ...