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SimBull 2021 CFB Full Team Breakdown: Illinois Fighting Illini

Welcome to Vendetta’s SimBull CFB full team breakdowns, where the writers from Vendetta Sports Media will be analyzing all the Power 5 college football programs for their share value on SimBull. This edition looks at the Illinois Fighting Illini.

2020 Record: 2-6 (2-6 Big Ten)

2021 Projected Win Total (via William Hill Sportsbook): O/U 3.5 Wins

On the Field

What’s good is that the Illini return virtually everyone from last year’s team. This roster has a lot of continuity. What’s bad is that last year’s team wasn’t very good. CBS projected Illinois to get five wins this season, but they have already lost two games they were expected to win. Not a great start.

Bret Bielema has a 2022 class that ranks ninth in the Big Ten but top-50 nationally, so that’s good right? The Fighting Illini are currently in the cellar of the Power Five schema, but there should be at least a little optimism that it won’t always be that way. The Big Ten hurts them as far as recruiting goes, but we’ve seen teams beat the odds in that regard before.

In the Market

The Illinois Fighting Illini have one of the cheapest shares on the entire SimBull market, not even just for college football. A share of SimILL-FB goes for $20.03. This price is the cheapest in the Big Ten, the second-cheapest of all CFB shares behind Kansas, and the second-cheapest of all SimBull shares regardless of sport.

It’s hard to really say whether or not there’s value here. On the one hand, the current share price for Illinois probably isn’t a fair reflection of where they are as a program. On the other hand, Bret Bielema is a first-year head coach with a lot to prove. The Illini haven’t had a winning season since 2011. It isn’t a sure thing that this price will trend upwards.