It was a very exciting first three games of the 2024 season for the Illinois football program.

Expectations for the season were still high. I expected the Illini to win eight games, but I also expected us to start 2-1 in the first three games.

So far expectations have been exceeded, so hopefully the season expectation of eight wins will also be exceeded.

With one top-25 win under their belt, Illinois heads into the 2024 season looking like it’s getting serious for the Orange and Blue.

Illinois is scheduled to play four ranked opponents in the next five games. We’ll be on the road against No. 23 Nebraska and No. 8 Penn State in the next two weeks. On October 19, No. 17 Michigan comes to Champaign, but the following week we’ll go to No. 9 Oregon. Purdue is sandwiched between those four games.

Playing four ranked opponents in a five-game series is extremely tough. In fact, in Bret Bielema’s first three seasons with the program, Illinois played a total of four ranked opponents in the regular season. Think about that for a moment. In the next five games, Illinois plays the same number of ranked opponents as it did in the previous three seasons combined.

It’s been a long time since Illinois has played four ranked opponents in a five-game series. You have to go back to the 2003 season to find the last time that happened.

During that 2003 season, 22 seasons ago, Illinois played No. 22 Purdue, No. 21 Michigan State, No. 17 Michigan, Minnesota and No. 13 Iowa.

Even with that schedule in 2003, Illinois did not play a single top-10 program. We are currently scheduled to play two, No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Oregon, both away in the next five games.

The fact that Illinois is going up against four ranked teams in the next five games seems like a daunting task, but honestly, I’m ready for it. Those are some big games, and if we win a few, who knows how high we could climb in the national polls?

Think about this for a moment. Illinois has already beaten No. 19 Kansas. So there’s a chance Illinois will play five ranked opponents this season.

There has never been a season in which the Illinois football team has played more ranked opponents in the regular season. A team that dates back to 1892, and in 2024, this will be the most ranked opponent we have ever faced.

Illinois has had several seasons where we have played five ranked opponents in the regular season. The last time this happened was in 2005. Illinois won the first two games of the season and then lost the last nine games, five of which were against ranked opponents.

It’s going to be wild for the Illinois football program. Four ranked opponents in the next five games is a tough task. But honestly, it’s a task that I think this program is ready for.