News broke late Sunday morning that Lovie Smith had been relieved of his duties as the University of Illinois’ head football coach. The announcement came on the heels of the Illini’s 28-10 loss to Northwestern, the team’s sixth consecutive defeat in the series.
There’s no doubt that Lovie Smith was a credible, meaningful hire. There’s also no doubt that his tenure was mired in disappointment. Smith finished 17-39 in 4+ seasons, including 10-33 in conference play. The Fighting Illini never finished higher than fourth in the B1G West (2019), and only won more than two conference games under Lovie.