Taking the field for the first time way back in 1890, the University of Illinois was one of college football’s dominant teams in the first half of the 20th century. With five National Championships (the last one coming in 1951), 15 Big Ten titles (the most recent in 2001) and a list of stars that includes icons Red Grange, George Halas and Dick Butkus, the Fighting Illini are as important to the history of college football as just about any other school in the country. The Road Back After turning around the Toledo Rockets in the MAC, Tim Beckman was hired to lead the Fighting Illini. Coming up under the tutelage of former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, Urban Meyer and Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State. While Beckman has to shoulder the responsibility for last year’s effort, there’s every reason to believe he and his staff can turn the Fighting Illini back into Big Ten contenders. If coach Beckman can sell recruits on the privilege of playing on some of college football’s most hallowed grounds, he should be able to turn things around. And fast. Now is the Time to Support the Fighting Illini Faced with an in-state rival like Northwestern exploding into the national spotlight, the pressure is on in Urbana-Champaign. With senior QB Nathan Scheelhaase looking to cement his legacy and earn a chance to play on Sundays, 2013 is make or break time. The dual threat will have to limit his turnovers and prove he can stay healthy, but Scheelhaase has shown spurts of brilliance for the Fighting Illini and with a new Offensive Coordinator (Bill Cubit), he’ll get the chances he needs. Get into ScoreBig now and lock in guaranteed savings on Illinois Football tickets.