With a little under two weeks until the Liberty Mutual Music City bowl game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and Tennessee Volunteers, Illini coach Bret Bielema addressed an extremely important question on the minds of many Illinois fans.

The Illinois High School Association announced this week that its football playoffs will expand in 2026, with 128 new teams taking part in the postseason.

Tennessee will play Illinois in the Music City Bowl, featuring prolific passers Joey Aguilar and Luke Altmyer. Here's the matchup and prediction.

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The stage is set for an epic rematch as the St. Francis Spartans (10-3) and Providence Catholic Celtics (10-3) prepare to battle for the IHSA Class 5A state championship Tuesday afternoon at Hancock Stadium in Normal.

Wide receiver Malik Elzy left the team in September 2025, took a redshirt and is likely to enter the transfer portal, according to 247Sports.com. He has two years of eligibility remaining. No players have yet announced their intention to transfer to Illinois from the portal.

Mike White coached the Illini for eight seasons, leading them to the Big Ten title in 1983. He also coached a decade in the NFL.

Former Illinois football coach Mike White, who died Sunday, went 47-41-3 at Illinois from 1980-87 and led the Illini to three bowl games.

The Chicago Bears stadium saga took yet another turn Wednesday as the team announced it would explore building a stadium outside of Illinois due to legislative roadblocks -- and Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren didn't mince words when it came to his reasoning.

The stage is set for an epic clash Tuesday night as the Fenwick Friars (10-3) and East St. Louis Flyers (9-3) bring matching four-game winning streaks into the IHSA Class 6A state championship at Hancock Stadium in Normal.

The Wildcats are pulling out all the stops to pack Villanova Stadium on Saturday night against Illinois State (7:30 p.m., ESPN2) as they try to advance to the title game for the first time since 2009.