CHAMPAIGN – For a guy attempting the latest rebuild in a program that’s stacked them every five or six years for a lifetime, Bret Bielema isn’t taking any chances.

No matter if the opponent wears Wyoming across its chest, Bielema played it conservatively to maximize the opportunity at winning in the season opener. With the looks of this schedule, the dates at the front end appear much more manageable than some of those later in the season, a time when the Illini see some of the best from the Big Ten East.

Bielema kept those cards close to his chest, just like he did much of the preseason when he had the Illini practicing behind closed doors, just like the rest of most of college football. As the Illini prepare in the final days before hosting Wyoming Saturday 3 p.m., BTN), it’s still a guessing game outside the program as far as the starting quarterback for the Illini.