Can't Wait For Saturday Survey says: Bielema an important asset for Illinois football, but …

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

May 7—***

Hats off to Scott Dochterman and the hard-working staff at The Athletic for continuing to come up with valuable takes on college foootball.

The latest, released Wednesday, surveyed fans about the likeliness of each Big Ten school to win a national title during the next five seasons.

No surprise, four schools received the most support: Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana and Michigan.

The survey asked the teams to be ranked on a scale from 5 points (very likely to 1 point (impossible).

Illinois, which has seen a rise in enthusiasm and victories during the Bret Bielema tenure, is not given much love in the survey.

Illinois received a score of 1 from 23 percent of the respondents. The number jumped to 48 percent for 2, 25 for 3, 4 for 4 and .8 for 5,

The story points to the improved feelings about the program, but adds that there is an underlying pessimism about the program reaching elite status.

"Illinois has great leadership and coaching, but is stuck in this modern hell of the college football landscape where teams with the most money can buy the most toys" One respondent said.

Special praise was also directed toward Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, who brought Bielema to Illinois as a replacement for his first hire, Lovie Smith.

Of course, the fans aren't always right. Had the same question been posed to fans before the 2024, the numbers for Indiana would have been near 0. Now, Indiana is considered one of the favorites after winning it all last season.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos