This will be the third Illinois football game at Wrigley Field. The Fighting Illini previously played Northwestern at Wrigley Field in 1923 and 2010. In 2010, Illinois beat Northwestern 48-27.

On New Year’s Eve, when Illinois takes the field in sunny Orlando, Florida, to face South Carolina in the Citrus Bowl (2 p.m. CT, on ESPN), it will be a day of firsts for Illini football.

When Bielema took over at Arkansas, he accepted the job knowing there was a mess to clean up in the wake of Bobby Petrino’s ...