Leading up to Duke Football's matchup with No. 12 **[Illinois](https://247sports.com/college/illinois/)** this weekend, we caught up with IlliniInquirer.com's Jeremy Werner to get the inside scoop on what the Blue Devils can expect in this noon kickoff on ESPN.
****[Bret Bielema](https://247sports.com/Coach/bret-bielema-137/)** has had an up-and-down career at Illinois, going 5-7, then 8-5, then 5-7, and an impressive 10-3 record this past season. How much confidence is there that the success of 2024 will carry over to this year?**
There is a bit of inconsistency in rebuilding this program up, but that four-year stretch is the best run of Illinois football — and one of the most consistently competitive runs — in more than 30 years. For context, Illinois has finished over .500 in Big Ten play just four times since 1994, and Bret Bielema has led two of those seasons in the last four years — in a Big Ten that is much better than it was during the rest of that run.