Bret Bielema carried mixed emotions, despite the Week 12 win over Maryland. The Fighting Illini displayed real courage despite having slim playoff hopes, securing a 24–6 victory. However, the win also signaled that Bielema is nearing the final games he’ll get to coach QB Luke Altmyer in an Illinois jersey.

The quarterback is expected to be drafted to the NFL next season, after being one of the best-performing QBs in the country this season. This news is hard for Bret Bielema to swallow, but he asserts that he is doing his best to help Altmeyer in the next stage of his career.

“During the bye week, I was working my tail off as hard as I humanly can to get Luke into an all-star game. He doesn’t need to know that. I told him and brought him in. I’m so excited, not just about what he can do for us here and what he can do, but for me as a head coach now 17 years into it, to see our players get to a point where they can go beyond here. It’s fun to watch,” Bielema said in the Maryland post-game press conference.

Bret Bielema also revealed that his daughter thinks that Altmyer walks on water, showcasing how impressive he has been this season. With the QB’s help, Bielema has led Illinois to consecutive seasons with a winning record. This hasn’t happened since the 2010–2011 seasons, marking a turning point for the Fighting Illini.

Luke Altmyer has a 69.1% throw completion rate for 2427 yards with 21 touchdowns (passing + rushing). These stats give him a QBR rating of 84.0, ranking him seventh nationally. He has been playing in college football for five seasons (two for Ole Miss and three for Illinois), progressively becoming better each season. He hit his career-high stats in 2025, which is why he’s being linked to the NFL draft.

While Altmyer’s departure would be devastating for Bielema, the head coach can deal with that after the season ends. For now, his focus stays on the two remaining games and the upcoming bowl appearance.

The season is still not ‘over’ for Bret Bielema and Illinois

The Week 12 victory against Maryland ensured a winning season for Bret Bielema. However, he has the chance to come close to his previous year’s record (10-3) with two more wins. Currently, Illinois has a 7-3 record with games against Wisconsin and Northwestern left. Both of those teams are placed below Illinois in the conference.

Wisconsin will come into the matchup after an embarrassing 7-31 loss at IU Memorial in Week 12. They sit 16th in the conference, so Bret Bielema is supposed to have a comfortable road trip to Camp Randall next weekend. The last time Illinois faced Northwestern was in the 2024 season-ender game.

The Fighting Illini won the game pretty comfortably with a 38-28 score. Now they face them again in the last game of the season and will look to replicate the 2024 success. Not to mention that Illinois has gained bowl eligibility, the season is still not over for the Fighting Illini in that sense.