Illinois football preview series: Game-by-game predictions

As we continue to preview the Illini season, Orange and Blue News takes a crack at game-by-game predictions.

The college football world loves its preseason prognostications. There aren't many newsworthy nuggets in college sports during the dog days of summer with the excitement of March Madness fading fast.

As the preseason football mags hit newsstands and the hype ramps up, everyone with a keyboard and a Twitter handle offers up their predictions. Things really kick into high gear next week with Big Ten Media Days set for Wednesday and Thursday in Indianapolis.

There's a positive buzz surrounding Illinois football, albeit a cautious one. The Illini have plenty of holes to fill in Bret Bielema's third season at the helm after a successful 8-5 campaign in 2022. .

Orange and Blue News ranks Illinois No. 7 in our preseason Big Ten Power Rankings. Vegas oddsmakers set the over / under at 6.5 wins and the Illini play the No. 43 strongest schedule in the nation.

The pre-conference schedule, which includes a resurgent Kansas, may be tougher than thought when it when it was etched in stone. In the last Big Ten season that will feature divisions, a crossover game against Penn State presents Illinois with its biggest challenge.