Illinois Fighting Illini, 2025 Recap: Build the Damn Bielema Statue Already
8 wins and a bowl game victory over the SEC? I'd take that deal.
11th in the Big Ten wouldn't ordinarily be a stat to brag about, but in the new super conference of 18? Not bad. And knocking out a big name (but famously not big game) coach in James Franklin to boot is just icing. How'd the Wildcats get there after a lackluster second year for David Braun? Let's reminisce, shall we?
What were the expectations?
Kind of...: Pretty low. Northwestern was coming off of a 4-8 season and 2024 was looking like a dead cat bounce sort of year. Add in that the Wildcats are pretty under-resourced, and there wasn't much cause for optimism.
Transient Buckeye: I don't remember anything about the expectations for Northwestern, but given that they were pretty bad in 2024, the ceiling for them in 2025 was that they would be thoroughly mid.
PerpetuallyAggrievedWildcat: Anyone who tells you they thought Northwestern was going bowling in 2025 is and/or was a liar and a goddamn fraud. Except one fellow at a site we dare not mention, who I hear had them going 6-6.
So, how'd it go?
Kind of...: Pretty good! It you want to nitpick, 6-6 isn't that much better than 4-8, but come on. You're not turning down a winning season and a bowl win. They ended James Franklin's time at Penn State!
Transient Buckeye: They were thoroughly mid. They managed a 6-6 regular season, and capped the year with a bowl victory over a not-at-all-good Central Michigan Squad. There wasn't really a big win, but they didn't get blown out a lot, either. Their worst conference outcome was a 21-point road loss at Southern Cal, but they even managed to keep that one interesting for a half.
PAW: Just fine. A loss to dogshit Nebraska was a bummer, but the win over Penn State and the ridiculous comeback over Minnesota made it nice.
What were the highlights?
Thumpasaurus: I enjoyed when Northwestern for some reason objected to Tulane wearing their special light color jerseys in memory of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and then got stomped 23-3. That was really funny.
I'll admit that it was also pretty funny when they just straight up bulldozed Penn State in the second half, ending the game with 23 first downs to Penn State's 13. I believe this game was also the end of James Franklin.
Oh, and who could forget the visit to Wrigley Field? The field was indeed quite wriggly as it always is for football, but Michigan found the superior footing right at the end to discover yet another of the myriad ways Northwestern can lose at Wrigley Field.
Kind of...: I think you've got to say the win at Penn State takes top honors. And beating Minnesota on the road is totally respectable too. And crack all the Detroit in December jokes you want, but a bowl win is a bowl win. Northwestern was once 1-9 in those. But they've now won seven of their last eight bowl appearances.
Transient Buckeye: Thumpasaurus and Kind Of... have already hit the nail on the head. In terms of their impact on the conference, Northwestern's greatest feat in 2025 was punching James Franklin's ticket out of Happy Valley (damn you, Wildcats!). They also pulled a mild upset over Minnesota, which was crucial in terms of securing a non-APR bowl bid.
PAW: The Minnesota victory was just hilarious. Northwestern had never won at Wrigley Field, but thank goodness for Minnesota, the epitome of mediocrity, who's never found a lead they can't choke away. (And that's from a Northwestern fan, who cheers for a team that holds a record for "biggest lead choked.")
Otherwise: the Penn State hilarity and the bowl win.
And the lowlights?
Thumpasaurus: I was counting on PJ Fleck to keep them out of bowl eligibility and he somehow managed to give up 38 points to that offense. What a shame.
Kind of...: Michigan was a lot better than Northwestern last year. But it's still not okay to lose when you're +5 in turnover margin.
Transient Buckeye: When you're not expected to be that good, there's a fairly low ceiling when it comes to lowlights, but there were a couple. Getting Mollywhopped by Tulane is never a good look for a Big Ten team. The crown jewel of failure, though, was the Michigan game. The entire Wolverine team generally, and Bryce Underwood specifically, did absolutely everything in their power to hand that game to Northwestern on a platter. But the Wildcats stubbornly refused to accept the opportunity to secure a season-defining win.
PAW: Remember how Northwestern had the ball on the Illinois goal line and settled--for about the millionth time that season--for a field goal?
Yeah, me neither, because I drank it away.
And fuck Michigan.
Any memorable and or absurd moments?
Thumpasaurus: I'll say it again, the second half of that Penn State game was wild to watch. Northwestern just moved the ball very methodically and Penn State was simply not physical enough to stop them.
Kind of...: Beating PSU: memorable. Losing to Michigan the way they did: absurd.
Transient Buckeye: Yeah. The entire second half of the Michigan game was completely ridiculous. The win over PSU was memorable, but in three years I think it's going to be a lot more memorable for Penn State fans than it will be for Northwestern fans.
PAW: Oh I assure you, it happens rarely enough that we'll remember it.
The Michigan and Minnesota games epitomized absurdity. Good riddance to Wrigley Field.
I would also like to shout out the GameAbove Motor Sports Bowl of Detroit-Style Pizza, in which the 'Cats forced Central Michigan turnovers on three consecutive plays--not just possessions, but five plays into a drive and then on the first plays of each subsequent Chippewas drive--and turned them all into points.
God bless Northwestern football. What a stupid thing.
