The look ahead to the 2022 schedule continues for ranking Michigan State’s football opponents this coming season. Up today is one of MSU’s cross-divisional foes from the Big Ten West: the Illinois Fighting Illini.
2021 Record: 5-7 (4-5 Big Ten)
In his first season at the helm in Champaign, head coach Bret Bielema made quite the debut with an upset win over division opponent Nebraska in “Week Zero.” However, Illinois then dropped four-straight games, which included losses to the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Virginia (a 42-14 defeat in Charlottesville).