The 2025 Football Preview

36,901 words. I know everyone always cares about the word count so the 2025 preview is 36,901 words. 91 pages, single-spaced. It's a two hour read unless you're some kind of speed reader. Then it's around an hour and 45 minutes.

The previous record for word total was 27,900 I believe. So this shatters the previous record. But that makes sense, right? The most anticipated Illini football season in 35 years deserves 36,901 words.

The fact that I wrote it in only 7 days and finished on Sunday night for the very first time? That doesn't make sense. Honestly, sitting here on Sunday evening, it scares me a little bit. I've written this preview since 2014, so this was number 12. I say that it comes out the Monday before the season but two times I didn't get it out until Tuesday. I've never finished on Sunday night and this time – the time when I wrote twice as many words as the 2020 preview – I finished a day early? What does that say?

It says I can't stop thinking about this season. The games will go how they go, but THIS is the part I enjoy. I love this team, and for my tribute, I wrote a nearly 37,000-word love letter.

If you're a Grange or Seventeen subscriber, you already have it in your inbox. It's also available on Slack. If you're an entry-level subscriber, it doesn't come with your subscription but you can, if you want, purchase it. I've made it available on this page for $17. I haven't sold it the last few years - I've only sent it to upper tier subscribers. But this is such an important season that I'm bringing back the "buy it here" page.

And please, upper tier subscribers, don't go to that purchase page and think you have to buy it. Check your email and you should already have it. This is part of what you paid extra for (as well as the basketball preview, the Slack channel, and the newsletter).

I think that's all I've got. Literally all I've got. Wait, I forgot the word count thing that I always do...

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe: 38,421 words
The 2025 IlliniBoard Football Preview: 36,901 words
Animal Farm: 29,966 words
Of Mice And Men: 29,572 words
The Old Man And The Sea: 26,531 words

(Best joke on Slack this week was from Hoppy: "You should call it Of Rice And Benn." Gold star for Hoppy.)

Enjoy it, everyone. I had a lot of fun with this one. Thanks to Nathan for the editing (his "Postscript" column starts back up next week) and thanks to Holly for the photos. And, as always, thanks to Powerade Zero Mixed Berry for powering me through. We should collab.

That's it. Beat Western Illinois.