I tweeted this in response to Dave Wischnowsky. You probably know him from his award-winning column, the Wischlist, and it started a back-and-forth between him and me about what this season entails.
Last time Illinois won 18 games in three years: 2000-2002
Last time a first time Illinois coach won 18 games in his first three years: 92-93
Last time Illinois won 12 Big Ten games in 3 years: 2000-2003
Recency bias aside, Illinois under Bielema: objectively good. https://t.co/9LlmnOfrJT— Mihir Chavan (@MihirChavan_) November 26, 2023But let's put that in a bit more perspective — even more so after the best recruit Illinois has landed during Bret Bielema’s tenure, AJ Dennis.