A historical two-year stretch for the Illini.
NASHVILLE — After winning the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl in heart-racing fashion, the Illini secured their ninth win of the 2025 campaign, solidifying the first back-to-back nine-win seasons in program history.
This is a big-time milestone for head coach Bret Bielema, who’s now won 37 games in his first five seasons at Illinois, as he continues to make strides in reinvigorating the program.
Before last season, the Illini hadn’t won a bowl game since 2011. Not only did they break that streak, but they also eclipsed the 10-win mark for the first time since 2001.
They ended up doing so against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, where quarterback Luke Altmyer and wide receiver Hank Beatty showed flashes of just how dynamic a duo they could become.
Entering this season, the door was wide open for the best two-season stretch in program history.
The 2025 Illini had the returners, the new faces and the coaching staff to make it happen, and they delivered in a big way.
Tuesday night, a win against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Music City Bowl capped things off, as Illinois rode the leg of kicker David Olano, who buried a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Altmyer, Beatty, linebacker Gabe Jacas, defensive back Miles Scott, offensive lineman J.C. Davis and many more players helped push the Illini to this point, and have officially closed the book on their college careers.
But it’s been a long and winding ride for Illinois during this 2025 season, as they went through trials and tribulations to get to this point.
Amidst the pre-season polls and hype that the Illini garnered coming into the season, many saw them as a dark horse team that could find their way into the College Football Playoffs.
Things started in the right direction, as the team went undefeated during the non-conference stretch, including a 26-point win over the eventual ACC champion Duke Blue Devils.
Shortly after, Illinois hit its first major roadblock of the season, suffering a blowout loss in Bloomington against the (now) Big Ten Champion Indiana Hoosiers.
But the team didn’t show any quit the following week, as they bested the USC Trojans in a ranked showdown, where kicker David Olano hit a game-winning field goal at the buzzer… sound familiar?
A Cannon Trophy win in West Lafayette against Purdue followed, right before the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes came to town and handed Illinois its second loss of the season.
Next came the road trip to Seattle, where the Illini fell to the Washington Huskies in brutal fashion, effectively killing any remaining hopes of a CFP berth.
Once again, the team showed no signs of throwing in the towel, as they followed that up with two dominant wins over Rutgers and Maryland.
In the penultimate game of the regular season, a heartbreaking, shocking loss to Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium blindsided the team and its fans alike.
Nonetheless, Illinois took the rough loss on the chin and eventually battled its way to a win against Northwestern for the Land of Lincoln Trophy while snow came pouring down all around them.
All of those ups and downs led the Illini to Dec. 30, where they had a chance to go out and compete against a storied SEC program in the Tennessee Volunteers.
It wasn’t easy, and it was never a sure thing, but one thing is certain — Coach Bielema’s Illini have secured the first back-to-back nine-win seasons in program history, and those two teams will not soon be forgotten.
Category: General Sports
