Final thoughts on Notre Dame, NIU, Illinois and Northwestern at the end of the college football season
Here are some parting thoughts as the 2024 college football season officially came to a close for the major programs around Illinois.
Northern Illinois: Thomas Hammock has NIU football in a picture-perfect place
It's simple for NIU football: keep doing your thing.
Northern Illinois has been nothing but consistent since the start of the 2000s. The Huskies will need that consistency as they look to make waves when they eventually join the Mountain West in 2026. It's a tougher conference with bigger challenges, but it puts NIU within striking distance of the College Football Playoff.
The Huskies have always slid under the radar, partially because none of the other Power 4 teams in Illinois will play them anymore. Look no further than the Huskies' upset over Notre Dame as to why.
Give NIU an inch and they'll take a mile. They did so under Rod Carey and Dave Doeren. The only thing Hammock hasn't done in comparison to Carey and Doeren is winning 10 games in a season. He came close in 2021 with a nine-win season.
Four of NIU's five losses in 2024 were by one possession. Hammock has three winning seasons in his last four as head coach. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Hammock's name is coming up among NFL circles as a running backs coach, although I have a hard time believing he'd take a job coaching running backs when that was the same job he left to take the NIU head coaching job.
Hammock can take NIU to places Doeren and Carey never could. It's not the predecessor's fault, it's just the change in the times around college football.
NIU's consistency is a reason the program has the reputation it does. That consistency in the Mountain West will mean new heights for the Huskies. Winning in the Mountain West means more exposure, the potential for a CFP appearance and more players potentially in the NFL. It's never been better to be NIU football.
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BOISE, ID - DECEMBER 23: Quarterback Josh Holst #15 of the Northern Illinois Huskies wins the player of the game at the conclusion of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium on December 23, 2024 in Boise, Idaho. Northern Illinois won the g
Northwestern: Year 3 under Braun will be the most telling
After an 8-5 first season in Evanston, one of the best coaching jobs in the nation considering the circumstances, Northwestern head coach David Braun's 4-8 second season felt like an underwhelming thud for a few reasons.
The ‘Cats reputation as Big Ten spoilers might be over with the likes of UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington in the conference. Northwestern will always be playing teams that have the bigger and better athletes. They can still beat the likes of Purdue and sneak one over a squad like Maryland, but they’ll need to be better in all aspects if they want to challenge for wins in the Big Ten.
This upcoming season for Braun will be the most telling, as he's utilizing the transfer portal to find some immediate talent.
Braun nabbed SMU quarterback Preston Stone to compete for the starting quarterback job. South Dakota State's Evan Beerntsen and Liberty's Xavior Gray beef up the offensive line. Stanford transfer Chase Ferrell and South Dakota State transfer Griffin Wilde are new targets for whomever wins the starting quarterback job. Memphis transfer An'Darius Coffey, Purdue transfer Yanni Karlaftis and Jacksonville State transfer Fred Davis II bring experience to the defense.
This is notable because it's Braun's first major foray into the portal, and he nabbed serious experience. He landed the kind of players that can make a difference when the 'Cats need it most.
If this experience can replicate the success he had in Year 1, then that's proof Northwestern can find footing in the supercharged Big Ten. If not, it'll be time for some difficult conversations about the expectations for Northwestern moving forward.
Illinois: It's time for the Illini to keep moving
Winning 10 games and clinching a spot in the top 20 – perhaps even the top 15 – of next season's AP Poll is part of the direction Bret Bielema envisioned his tenure in Illinois moving.
The momentum is as high as it's been since perhaps the end of the 2000s when Ron Zook had the Illini in the Rose Bowl. That momentum wasn't sustained under Zook. Bielema has a different set of rules to play with, though.
Illinois will have plenty of returning players. Quarterback Luke Altmeyer is returning. All-Big Ten left tackle J.C. Davis is returning. The transfer portal also gives Bielema the chance to add players where he needs. Bielema also showed growth, acknowledging Illinois needed to learn how to respect opponents like Northwestern in order to really beat them on the field consistently.
It's time for the Illini to replicate this kind of success. Another 10-win season and a flirtation with the 12-team College Football Playoff should be the expectation.
Bielema has the pieces. He'll need to put out a coaching job better than what he had in 2024, which is a tall task because he was a great coach in 2024.
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Notre Dame: The Irish are closer than they've ever been
Down 21-7 in the national title game is something Notre Dame knows all too well.
The Irish were no strangers to getting smacked when the talent levels was just too different between Notre Dame and the opponent. But, eventually the Irish sat there with third and 11 with a chance to get the ball back and tie the football game against Ohio State with less than two minutes left.
A long pass from Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith sealed the win. Notre Dame's championship drought continues. But, in the wake of a 34-23 loss, Notre Dame can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Irish are closer than they've ever been.
When it came down to it, Notre Dame had two quarters of football that sunk them during the national title game. A stop here, a pair of points there, and the game would've been different. At this point, it's would've, could've, should've for Notre Dame, but it gives the Irish an idea of what they need to cross the hump.
A good start are the 18 returnees and an offensive line that boasts starting talent and young potential. The players who transferred out, like Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan, who started on the line in 2024. As crazy as it sounds, they could've been reserves on the 2025 roster.
It's fair to expect that line to be even better in 2025. It's fair to expect the team to replicate the success it had in 2024. It all comes down to one thing.
Who will win the quarterback battle for Notre Dame, and can that quarterback finally lift the Irish over the hump?