– Last Updated on June 8, 2018 7:50 am
2017 Football Preview – Big Ten – Fighting Illini
Looking for 2017 Illinois Fighting Illini predictions? The Lovie Smith era got off to a very slow start for the Fighting Illini. They were only able to win three games, and the wins were all against teams that finished below the .500 mark on the season. The outlook for this year doesn’t look much better.
NCAA Football Gambling Lines
- 2017-18 College Football Preview – Illinois Fighting Illini
- Head Coach: Lovie Smith
- 2016 Record: 3-9
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds to win the 2017 FBS Championship: +50000
- Updated Sportsbook Bonuses For Today
- ***More 2017 NCAA Football Team Season Previews***
It’s hard to win in the Big Ten Conference when your team has the talent of a mid major and that is the problem the Illini will run into again this year.
So can Lovie Smith put some energy back into this program? Or will it be another disappointing year for the Illini faithful?
2017 Illinois Fighting Illini Predictions: Team Strengths
Young Team: The Fighting Illini truthfully don’t have many strengths across the board. One of the few strengths I could find is they are young, so hopefully if they are receptive to the coaches and their coaching they can be taught.
On the line it is probably going to be all Freshman and Sophomore’s starting for this team.
[dfads params=’groups=220&limit=1&return_javascript=1′]
Now that would be a big disadvantage for most teams, but the Illini are building just as much for the future, as how important the wins and losses are right now.
If all those guys can improve this year, when they are upper class men and with a few more recruiting classes coming in hopefully they will be ready to anchor a strong defense.
The secondary is also young, although not as young and hopefully some of those guys can get some good experience.
No Expectations: If the team does terrible again this year, I don’t think it will cost Lovie Smith his job.
I think he has a few years of not good football before they will decide to go in a different direction at head coach.
That should give this team plenty of time and learn, and learn how to play football the right way, instead of so much worry about what the scoreboard says week in and week out.
2017 Illinois Fighting Illini Predictions: Team Weaknesses
Uhhhh Who’s at Quarterback: Just a few months about the Fighting Illini thought that they had their answer in Virginia Tech transfer and JUCO college superstar Dwayne Lawson.
Check out the free College football picks from Cappers Picks experts today!
But he wasn’t eligible for school at Illinois, and can’t enroll in the fall semester, so now Lovie Smith is back at square one.
It leads a quarterback competition down to Chayce Crouch and Jeff George Jr, both quarterbacks who are okay at best, and probably wouldn’t make many power five rosters.
The quarterback is the heart and soul of the team and with the Illini having a lot of issues finding an okay one that spells trouble for not only this season, but the coming seasons under Lovie Smith. He needs to find a good quarterback and get him to campus fast.
No one Does Anything Great: The biggest issue that the team had last year, and something the coaching staff needs to fix for this year, is they need to find one thing this team does great, or even good for that matter.
Last year they had some really good players, NFL talent even on the defensive side of the ball, but they didn’t work together as a unit and spelled a lot of trouble for them.
This team needs to find something they can hang their hat on, and if nothing else, not even for this year, if they can find something to make their identity, and build for the future.
Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction: 2-10
Predicting this teams success is going to be hard. They won’t be favored in many games this year, if at all any. To most teams their non conference schedule would look pretty easy, but it won’t be a walk in the park for the Fighting Illini.
[dfads params=’groups=219&limit=1&return_javascript=1′]
I think this team will regress again, and this time only come away with two wins on the season. Not having a starting quarterback is going to really hurt them.
2017 Illinois Fighting Illini Football Schedule
- 9/2/17 12:00 PM ET BALL
- 9/9/17 8:00 PM ET WKU
- 9/15/17 7:00 PM ET @USF
- 9/29/17 8:00 PM ET NEB
- 10/7/17 12:00 PM ET @IOWA
- 10/14/17 TBD RUTG
- 10/21/17 TBD @MINN
- 10/28/17 12:00 PM ET WIS
- 11/4/17 TBD @PUR
- 11/11/17 TBD IND
- 11/18/17 TBD @OSU
- 11/25/17 TBD NW
What do you think about our 2017 Illinois Fighting Illini predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2017!
The 2017 College futures betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on NCAA football, you are in the best possible place for online betting. CappersPicks.com has NCAAF odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find College football lines up for early games as well.
Check out our Updated College Football Betting Odds.