Why Bielema’s second year is different than Lovie and Beckman’s

Last season, the Illinois Fighting Illini football team was one of the most experienced units in recent memory, with upperclassmen starters at nearly every position on both sides of the ball. For many decades, it’s been a rule of thumb in college football that teams replacing many experienced starters are almost destined to struggle the next season as former backups ease into starting roles.

We most recently saw this adage play out when young Illini teams struggled in 2013 and 2017. Much like the current Illini team, the 2013 and 2017 teams took place during Beckman and Lovie’s second seasons respectively, and both had seen many of the experienced players from the previous regime graduate.…