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?

Thompson knew Illinois would be the right fit for his new football home after a conversation with coach Bret Bielema ...

Joel Klatt has a prediction for who may be the next SMU and crash the College Football Playoff party during the 2025 season.

It's early, but Illinois' class ranks No. 6 nationally and includes two blue-chippers among the eight commitments.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, center, celebrates with defensive backs Tyler Strain (20) and Matthew Bailey (7) after ...

When Bielema took over at Arkansas, he accepted the job knowing there was a mess to clean up in the wake of Bobby Petrino’s ...

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 ...

As Nebraska slowly builds its next class, a Citrus Bowl imbroglio helped Bret Bielema and Illinois break out on the 2026 ...

Former Wisconsin defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. met with the media on Friday for the first time since transferring to ...

LINCOLN — Despite not impacting the College Football Playoff one bit, Illinois coach Bret Bielema stole the bowl season and set his team up for 2025 with one stroll across the field. His Illini ...