Many thanks to AlmaOtter from Off Tackle Empire (www.offtackleempire.com/) for answering some questions about a new B1G opponent that we know little to nothing about in Oregon.

ATQ: Since Oregon and Illinois haven't played each other in nearly 30 years, we know very little about the Fighting Illini here in Eugene. Illinois has a long football tradition, so what are the basics that Ducks fans don't know about your football team? What are the traditions? What is the atmosphere like on game days at Memorial Stadium? If you'd like, describe to us what makes Illinois football so special.

AO: Our tradition is steeped in history! We are incredibly proud of our graduates and our history, but there is also a certain sadness to it all. Red Grange is arguably the greatest college football player of all time. There is a statue of him in front of Memorial Stadium for a reason. Dick Butkus is an Illinois hero and a Chicago Bears legend (RIP, big boy). But much of that dominance and significance lies deep in history.

I'm an expat. I'm in the Washington, DC area and haven't been to an Illini home game since I was in college (2009-2013, to be exact). But the tailgating scene is always strong, even when attendance is down. If the team is even remotely decent, the fans come. But in the depths of the 2-10 years, Memorial is pretty quiet. I can't argue the stats: only the seats at Tarpwestern (because they cover their empty season with tarps) and Maryland are consistently less full than Illinois.

That said! Our Marching Illini are absolutely amazing and the stadium itself is incredibly beautiful, even compared to some of its larger competitors in the conference. It's a special place to watch a game. It's on campus and very walkable from downtown UC, but overlooks the cornfields of central Illinois while honoring our World War I veterans. It's beautiful.

ATQ: It seems like Illinois has generally struggled with coaching and achieving winning seasons over the last 20 years. Considering there have been exceptions to what I just said, is that a fair assessment? What other factors besides the head coach present challenges for Illinois football? What are some of the challenges and considerations when playing in a league like the B1G?

AO: That's a very kind way of putting it. Since 2000, we've seen 3 teams finish over .500 with a regular season and six coaches total. Not great! We've had some teams pull off incredible underdog wins (2007 over #1 Ohio State, 2019 over #6 Wisconsin, 2021 over #7 Penn State in the record-breaking and deeply yet unintentionally hilarious 9OT game), but it's been a long time since Illinois has had an immensely successful season. We came closest in 2022, but blew it all at the end of the season and narrowly missed a chance at the conference title game.

I won't deny that Illinois is a sad program, but many of our challenges are of our own making. Zook was a great recruiter but an idiotic coach in the game. Beckman was summarily fired after mistreating his players. His interim coach, Bill Cubit, was hired as the official HC and was introduced by the AD with the less than reassuring words, “Obviously it's not ideal, but right now I don't think it's going to stab the program in the heart.” Lovie was a popular but washed-up former Bears coach who hired his son in a role he wasn't qualified for and was generally uncompetitive (10-33 in conference). It was a run.

Recruiting-wise, you'd think having the flagship school of the region's largest state would be a boost. But Illinois hasn't had a solid lead in local high school programs for a very long time. That's in part because of the state's very diverse regionalism. Northwestern Illinois has a lot of Iowa fans. Southern Illinois is culturally and geographically closer to Mizzou than to Champaign. Add to that the fact that Notre Dame considers Chicagoland its largest alumni base and Northwestern bills itself as “Chicago's Big Ten team,” and what should be a built-in advantage becomes something of a liability.

Frankly, it should have been easier to stay relevant in the Big Ten's previous format. Unlike the other Big Ten East teams, we didn't have to play Penn State/Michigan/Ohio State every damn year. Our toughest division game in a given year was usually Wisconsin when they were good and Iowa when they were… er, relevant. Still, we never made it to a conference title game. In the new format with the Pac4 (Four Pack? Four Loko? What should we call you?), it's only going to get tougher.

As for Oregon joining the conference, I imagine you're no stranger to weather games. But there's something particularly ridiculous about playing outdoors in November against Minnesota or playing at Illinois in a damn tornado. I think that's the biggest difference for you. The desert games at ASU or Arizona are gone. But then again, so is the high altitude at Utah or Boulder. The high altitude in the Midwest is the biggest freeway overpass.

ATQ: Please tell us about your current head coach, Bret Bielema. What do the fans think of him? Is he on the right path to improve Illinois football? What is he doing right and what is he struggling with? How is recruiting for the Fighting Illini? What do you think the expectations are for Bielema in the coming seasons?

AO: I'll preface this by saying that Bielema (sometimes called Bert by the B1G folks) is basically from my hometown. He's from Prophetstown, IL; my hometown is 20 minutes down the road. Both might as well be in the middle of nowhere. He's a local. I love that.

However, there was a lot of fear at the start of his first season. We were losing games that felt winnable, his in-game decisions seemed inexplicable, and his best trait from his time at Wisconsin (O-line play) was missing. For me, that feeling changed after the 9OT game at Penn State. The team worked their asses off to get that win. They fought. They had conviction. The 2022 season has confirmed much of that, despite the collapse against Michigan State.

Now what? There are questions. We lost our DC Ryan Walters to Purdue and he proceeded to beat us (on my wedding day, of all days!). We lost a game to Iowa that we almost won (screw Iowa) and narrowly eked out wins against Indiana and Minnesota after true heroics from backup QB John Paddock. Bielema is not on the hot seat. But we need to see progress, more in 2022 than 2023, to maintain confidence in Big Bert going forward. If this season doesn't live up to that standard, recruiting will drop and it's hard to see a path forward.

ATQ: Illinois comes to Eugene on October 26th. Who are the players we should know? Who should we watch on offense? Who should we watch on defense? Are there any standout players on special teams?

AO: I'm admittedly not an X's and O's guy, so I'll do my best here. QB Luke Altmeyer, in his second year at Illinois (after transferring from Ole Miss), is definitely the sticking point. He played quite well in some moments, but was benched in several games last year for ILLINI HERO John Paddock. If he can develop into a true dual-threat QB, the offense could be OK. We also have transfer WR Zachari Franklin (formerly of UTSA) rejoining his former OC Barry Lunney, JR. Those are probably our two biggest stars on offense.

Some incredible defensive players have come out of Illinois over the past few seasons. All-American Johnny Newton was the B1G Defensive Player of the Year last season (with a damn broken foot). All-American Devon Witherspoon is the Seahawks' star on Sundays. Kerby Joseph does the same in Detroit. Still: I'm not sure who will be playing defense in 2024. We have several interesting transfers (Terrence Brooks at CB, Gentle Hunt (yes, that's a real name)), but it's not clear who will lead the unit this season.

As for special teams, *shrug*. I don't know. We loved our WR/KR Isaiah Williams, but the unit has a history of botching a punt or kick. Especially at the worst possible times. Should be fun in Autzen!

ATQ: I'm not going to ask for a score prediction for this first of many meetings – coming to Autzen is not an enviable task. What will make the season a successful one in the end? What final score would worry you? And what do you think the Fighting Illini's record will be – will they make a bowl game this year?

AO: Yikes. Yeah, I'm going to try not to get all depressed and think back to the 63-0 loss to Iowa a few years ago. Anything better would be OK. If in doubt, assume Illinois will be 5-7 every season. I imagine that's our midpoint this coming season. A successful year would be if we got to six wins before the HAT game against Northwestern. A crappy year would be something along the lines of 4-8. Below that, Bielema's ass is on fire.

Thanks again to AlmaOtter for helping us learn about the Fighting Illini ahead of a new season in a new league. I'm sure we'll be talking to him again in the future about all things B1G.