Ohio State Football: Big Ten Preseason Predictions
By Alex Austin
Bottom of the Big Ten West
Illinois (3-9)
The Fighting Illini will have a new head coach which should bring some level of excitement to the program. Bret Bielema will have a very different feel than Lovie Smith, but that does not mean the team will immediately improve.
Illinois is going to struggle to get any kind of production out of their offense, especially against the top-level talent in the Big Ten. Playing in the same division as some of the better defenses in the Big Ten should be enough to seal their fate. 2021 is not their year, but the program is starting the rebuilding process.
Nebraska (4-8)
Nebraska was influential in bringing a football season back to the Big Ten in 2020. However, once on the field it was clear that they were several key guys away from putting a competitive team on the field. They were able to keep some games close, but this team is far away from being the Nebraska team of old.
The Big Ten has plenty of talent and having a difficult road matchup against Oklahoma could start a slide of more losses than wins. Coach Frost will need to at least be competitive to prove he is the right man for the job.