Today, Illinois Fighting Illini football is about to embark on its fifth season in an established Lovie Smith coaching regime, with experienced players throughout the roster and expectations of success among the fans. To properly gauge our expectations, it’s often helpful to look into the past and see how similar circumstances played out in prior years.
One such time in recent Illini football history was exactly one decade ago in the 2010 season. Then, like now, an established coaching regime was looking to build on its past and create a consistently successful program.
That season saw Head Coach Ron Zook in his sixth season at the helm of a program that was only three years removed from a Rose Bowl appearance following the 2007 campaign.