The Illinois Fighting Illini made a bowl game by the skin of their teeth in 2014, and with most of the important parts of that team back there is some small modicum of optimism in Champaign, Ill. these days.
However, it wouldn’t be an offseason in the Illini program without head coach Tim Beckman making headlines for something off the field. This time it was accusations of player “abuse” and forcing others out of the program. Currently those accusations are being looked in to, but you can bet what happens on the field is going to matter a whole lot more.