Illinois won't win every game this season — at least the odds are against it — but there are games the Illini have to win to ensure there's not a 14-18 repeat of last season. Our beat writer ranks 10 of them on a "must-win" scale now that the full schedule is out:
1. Mississippi Valley State, Nov. 25: Only three teams were worse than the Delta Devils last season — Maryland Eastern Shore, Delaware State and Alabama A&M. The "why" of this being an absolute must-win game for the Illini, therefore, is fairly straightforward.