Bret Bielema didn’t sound like a coach easing into another year when he met with reporters ahead of Illinois’ 2025 season. Entering his fifth year in Champaign, Bielema spoke with the tone of someone who believes his team is ready to make a serious run.
Bielema sets high bar for Illinois in 2025
“We’ve got the right mix of leadership, depth, and competitive fire,” he said. “Now it’s about proving it every Saturday.”
Coming off a 10–3 campaign capped by a Citrus Bowl win over South Carolina, Illinois opens the new season ranked No. 12 in the AP poll. That ranking is the program’s highest since the early 2000s, and Bielema knows expectations are rising.
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A veteran roster built to compete
Bielema pointed to his senior class and a core group of returning starters as the backbone of the 2025 squad. The Illini return key contributors on both sides of the ball, giving them experience in high-pressure games.
“You don’t get many teams where you have this many guys who’ve been through battles together,” Bielema noted. “That matters in the fourth quarter when the game’s on the line.”
Big Ten grind still looms
While Bielema didn’t downplay the challenges of the Big Ten schedule, he stressed that Illinois’ preparation is built for those tests. He referenced the program’s improved depth at offensive line and defensive front, two areas he sees as critical to surviving the physical grind of the season.
“Our league is won in the trenches,” he said. “We’ve made sure we can rotate and keep fresh legs, especially in November.”
A long-awaited breakthrough?
Illinois hasn’t won a Big Ten title since 2001 or played in a major bowl since the 2007 Rose Bowl. Bielema has made steady progress, leading the program to two bowl wins in four years, but he’s aiming higher.
“This team has the chance to accomplish things that haven’t been done here in a long time,” he said. “We’ve got the opportunity. Now we have to go earn it.”
The Illini will win __ games?
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 13, 2025
Watch the Illinois training camp show at 8 p.m ET/5 p.m. PT tonight. pic.twitter.com/PRtXEFL7Rh
Illinois opens the 2025 season on August 29 at home against Western Illinois, the first step in what Bielema hopes will be a defining year for the program.
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