Bret Bielema Hopes For Memorial Stadium Sellout Against 'Very Well-Coached' Kansas

Bret Bielema gave Kansas its props, as the Week 2 matchup is the first of six rematch games from last season.

Aug 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema on the sidelines during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports / ron johnson-usa today sports

Coach Bret Bielema has already turned the page to Illinois' (1-0) Week 2 matchup against Kansas (1-0).

The Illini lost last year's meeting 34-23 in Lawrence. It was one of seven losses for Illinois last season and one of the few games it lost by more than a touchdown.

Bielema pointed to last Thursday's 45-0 win against Eastern Illinois as one of several benchmarks he needed to see as an improvement but said Monday at his weekly press conference Kansas is a team that shouldn't be taken lightly.

"People [are] talking about them [Kansas] being a playoff team," Bielema said. "And you can definitely see that, you know, before they even played a snap this year. They're very well-coached. [They have] very dynamic players, offensively and defensively. Like us, they lost some players to the NFL but have replaced them and continue to build the roster that they already currently had. I think their football team and program really channels through their quarterback [Jalon Daniels]. When he's been able to be in the lineup, they obviously have a record that's pretty special."

The Jayhawks finished a difficult Big 12 schedule 5-4, capping last year's win total at nine under third-year coach Lance Leipold. It culminated with a 49-36 bowl victory against UNLV.

As for Bielema and Illinois, a victory against a ranked Jayhawks team could go a long way toward a potential second bowl appearance in a three-year span, plus an opportunity for its first AP Top 25 ranking since Nov. 2022.

Bielema said ticket sales for the nightcap game (7 p.m. ET, FS1) have been going well. He and the program are pushing for a sellout for the first time in eight years.

"Excited about this opportunity to have a ranked team come in here to Memorial Stadium," Bielema said. "I know our crowd is expected to be a good number. I think we're within 1,000 [tickets] or so of being sold out for that game and put ourselves in a position to have a crowd where, unfortunately, or however you want to look at it, fortunately for us, we're trying to build this thing up and get it to be more consistent. I think Saturday night is hopefully going to be a microcosm of that."

As of Monday, the Illini are a 5.5-point underdog against the Jayhawks. The spread may change throughout the week as the final activity reports have not been confirmed.

Zain Bando is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or follow him on X @zainbando99