Back to the Illinois Fighting Illini Newsfeed

Bielema has something to prove in Madison return

I’ve been writing about Illinois football since graduating in 2016. Every year it's the same storyline when the Illini face the Badgers.

Illinois needs a perfect game to be within a touchdown. The defense needs to be on point. The offense needs to be rhythmic. Special teams need to be, well, special. It’s happened once since I set foot down in Champaign.

The rest hasn’t been pretty.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 09 Wisconsin at Illinois
Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

This one is also a bit personal for me: I live with a Wisconsin alum.