As you peruse ‘Hot seat’ lists in college football for the upcoming season, one name sure to be near the top of all of them is Illinois head coach Lovie Smith.
The longtime NFL coach is entering a critical fourth season with the Illini and, while there has been some progress in climbing out of the Big Ten cellar recently, Smith’s overall record at the school stands at just 9–27 and he can thank a large buyout for keeping his job safe into the upcoming campaign. With that as the backdrop in Champaign though, the school’s athletic director pretty clearly set the expectations for 2019 as bowl game or bust during an interview with 247Sports.
“We’re into that period of time where nobody should be surprised to see us in a bowl game,” AD Josh Whitman said. “Nobody should be surprised to see us in a postseason basketball opportunity. I am very bullish on both of those programs, and I think we are now in that window. I fully expect it to happen this year, next year. I think in these next couple of years, I think that we will largely where we want to be.”
Whitman, a former football player himself, likes the progress that he’s seen in the program but it’s at least good to hear that he is echoing most of the fan base by thinking four wins isn’t going to cut it again in 2019. The Illini haven’t been to a bowl game since 2014 but it’s pretty clear that six wins is the minimum or else the athletic director will be conducting a coaching search in December.