We’ve reached the second week of March on the college athletics calendar. For many fans, that means brackets. For the college football diehards, it means spring practice, new-look depth charts and plenty of hope for every FBS program.
Spring ball is underway for some schools and is soon to start for everyone else, so this week 247Sports is previewing every Power Five conference with a burning question for each team. From quarterback battles to offensive and defensive lines in need of major overhauls, this is the outlook for the Big Ten this spring.
Illinois may have surprised the country last season, but falling just short of a bowl game was enough for Bret Bielema to pin some close-game struggles on his offensive coordinator. The Fighting Illini’s head coach fired Tony Petersen, the former Appalachian State OC, after only one season in which Illinois ranked 116th in points scored per game.
So, Bielema dipped in the well and pulled out UTSA’s Barry Lunney Jr., who previously coached tight ends for Bielema at Arkansas. UTSA’s offense finished 11th in scoring nationally while winning the Conference USA championship last season, so Bielema knew who he wanted and he acted quickly. The Roadrunners’ balanced offense and bruising play style is exactly what the Illini need.
