Like many of the Big Ten West division programs, there’s been a change in regime for the Illinois Fighting Illini over the past few seasons.
Last year, former Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith took over a team from the fired Tim Beckman and not-retained Bill Cubit. Illinois went 3-9 in its first season under Smith, 2-7 in Big Ten conference play.
There are some pieces to the puzzle still missing in Champaign, but the former NFL coach appears to be taking Illinois football in the right direction.
The Champaign Room’s Austin Jabs joined B5Q to talk about Illinois’s upcoming season and expectations.