Illinois Fighting Illini 2021 Football Preview

Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesMemo to Bret Bielema: Try not to beat Nebraska.

Don’t laugh...because the last two coaches who celebrated a victory over the Huskers found themselves unemployed shortly thereafter. After Nebraska’s late game meltdown in 2015, Bill Cubit was replaced by Lovie Smith. Smith then kept his job by losing four times to Nebraska before last season’s 41-23 victory.

Now, it’s Bielema’s turn to win in Champaign. (But not get fired by beating Nebraska, it seems.) But how will he do it? Chances are he’s going to lean on what worked for him at Wisconsin, though to be honest, the Wisconsin recipe was tried and proven by Barry Alvarez well before Bielema…