JUST IN: Illinois makes significant changs as tittle race contiunes.

Back-to-back on CBS? This is the moment Illinois fans have been waiting for. Let’s add to the excitement!

Our Fighting Illini have two consecutive games in the 2:30 p.m. time slot on CBS—one this weekend against defending national champions Michigan, and the next in Eugene against No. 2-ranked Oregon.

As someone who grew up watching SEC games at 2:30 every Saturday, this is especially exciting for me.

What does this mean?

For starters, more eyes will be on Illini football. Are fans and the general public ready for the rollercoaster that comes with it? Recruits tune in on Saturdays, and they’ll see Illinois in one of the most coveted spots on one of the most coveted networks, possibly in back-to-back top-25 matchups.

That’s a statement, and a testament to the work Bret Bielema and his staff have done, no matter the results. It shows Illinois is becoming nationally relevant—a dream Illini fans have had for, well, forever.

Illinois football’s history is filled with little winning, a lot of losing, and years of irrelevance, especially since 2007 with just one season of 8+ wins. That’s rough.

But things are changing.

Now, you see Illinois with a ranking next to their name on ESPN’s ticker. They’re being talked about on college football shows. They’re even in the conversation as a potential dark horse for the College Football Playoff.

This is uncharted territory for Illini football.

Yet, with the 2022 squad and now the 2024 team, Coach Bielema is making this the new normal for Illinois.

Sure, we can complain about last season’s disappointments, the struggles on both sides of the line, or that baffling second-half defensive collapse against Purdue. This team has plenty to work on.

But let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact that Illinois football is *nationally relevant.*

You read that right: NATIONALLY RELEVANT ILLINOIS FOOTBALL. It looks like the program is turning around—let’s make these next two weekends unforgettable. I-L-L!