By Brad Sturdy – IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular
September 8, 2025
Being an Illini football fan has been a labor of love, something that it’s almost impossible to give up and almost impossible to not feel some form of anxiety no matter how far and fast the hype train goes. Even national pundits still doubted the Illini despite the #11 ranking and the 18 returning starters.
They picked Duke, one by one, heading into the game. Duke had the $4 million dollar quarterback, won 9 games a year ago and were at home, of course. And be honest, even Illini fans, despite the bravado, had a fear in the back of their minds, an almost expectation that they would disappoint and let us down once more.
