_**_[Sign up for our daily Illini football newsletter here](https://www.news-gazette.com/newsletters/)_**_
_Greetings from "Can't Wait For Saturday," your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He'll give you his views each day on the game he loves._
\*\*\*
I should probably be writing about the House case and what it means for college football. But my brain is a bit too mushy to take that topic on late Friday night. Maybe for Sunday.
Instead, how about we dive into quarterbacks? Or, more to the point, respond to ESPN's list of college football's top pro prospects for 2026.
ESPN breaks it down into two charts: Names to know and best of the rest.
In the first group, Illinois plays one of them: Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, who transferred from Cal. He threw for more than 3,000 yards with the Bears.
The only other Big Ten players mentioned was Penn State's Drew Allar. Illinois doesn't meet the Nittany Lions this season, unless it happens in the Big Ten title game or College Football Playoff.
Illinois will compete against one player among the best of the rest: Duke's Darian Mensah.
Illinois travels to Duke the second week of the season. While technically Mensah could be back with Duke in 2026, this seems to likely be a one-shot deal. In his third season, Mensah will be eligible for next year's draft and will likely move on. Though the presence of star power like Arch Manning and Allar might make him consider another season in Durham.
In the other QBs to watch list at the end, you'll find Illinois third-year starter Luke Altmyer. Just a hunch that will serve as motivation for the former Mississippi player.
The lone Illinois opponent on the latter list is Southern California's Jayden Maiava.
My take, the Illinois schedule is going to be less challenging than I might have expected. The biggest game is at Duke. That one is getting more important by the moment.
Sunday, I will tackle the House settlement .. probably.
Bob Asmussen is a college football reporter and columnist for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-393-8248 or [asmussen@news-gazette.com](mailto:asmussen@news-gazette.com).