The 200 Level with Mike Carpenter: A Fighting Illini Fan Podcast

Illinois football is 3-0 for the first time since 2011, and with it, halfway to bowl eligibility. Best of all? They appear to be just plain old good. Mike Carpenter discusses the team's fast start ahead of a tough pair of road games at Nebraska and Penn State, and opens up the listener mailbag to see how fans are feeling after the first quarter of the season.

Mike Carpenter is still basking in the glow of the Kansas win ahead of Saturday's Homecoming matchup against Central Michigan. He looks ahead at the rest of the season using Kelley Ford's predictive ratings, and discusses Illini football's chances at a winning season. Then, he opens up the listener mailbag to see if fans' expectations have changed since Saturday night's huge victory.

Illini football gets a massive win in front of a sold-out crowd, beating #19 Kansas 23-17. Mike Carpenter reacts to a perfect day and night at Memorial Stadium, and how the win not only improves the prospects for this year's team, but for the direction of Bret Bielema's program. He also opens up the listener mailbag and discusses how big this victory was for a starved fan base.

This is it - the game we've been waiting for! Illinois welcomes in Kansas for a week two grudge match with an opportunity to jumpstart a run to a bowl game. Mike Carpenter discusses how this game is massive for Bret Bielema's program in his fourth year, and how its result will impact the fan base, recruits, and short-and-long-term success of Illini football.

Illinois football gets their season off to a rollicking start with a 45-0 victory over EIU. Mike Carpenter recaps the dominating win led by a balanced offensive attack, with Luke Altmeyer throwing 4 TDs and Kaedin Feagin picking up where he left off at running back. Also, Aaron Henry's defense settles in after a shaky first possession, pitching a shut-out. Next up: Kansas at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 7.

The 2024 Illini Football season is days away from kicking off against Eastern Illinois! Mike Carpenter opens up the listener mailbag to see what fans think will be Illinois football's overall record, best win, worst loss, and the MVPs on each side of the ball. He makes his final predictions for the upcoming season, and explains why a "bowl game or bust" attitude is appropriate for this roster.

Mike Carpenter is joined by longtime co-host Trevor Vallese to discuss the upcoming Illini football season. They rank the games in order of difficulty in an effort to find six or more wins and gauge their confidence level in each of the position groups. Finally, they talk about the ceiling and floor for Bret Bielema's team, and what the different results would say about his program in year four.

Longtime 200 Level co-host Isaac Ambrose hops on to discuss all things Illini Football with Mike Carpenter. They talk about the raised floor and potential high ceiling of Barry Lunney's offense, the need for Aaron Henry's defense to be merely serviceable, and what it will take for Bret Bielema's team to reach a bowl game in 2024.

We're just over three weeks from the start of the 2024 Illini Football season! Mike Carpenter reflects on how a disappointing 2023 looms large entering Bret Bielema's fourth season. He also discusses reasons for concern and optimism on both sides of the ball, before looking ahead to the 12-game schedule and making a prediction on Illinois' overall record.

Mike Carpenter announces the upcoming release of The 200 Level: An Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball Fan's Journey, available for pre-order now ahead of its general release in October. He details what inspired him to write the book, how the process began, and what he hopes readers will get from it. Also, a discussion of the start of fall football camp and the highly-productive offseason for Brad Underwood's basketball program.