The Illinois Fighting Illini are 4-3, 2-2 in the Big Ten heading into Week 9's game at Maryland, with a chance to climb into the upper half of the Big Ten.

The Illini are coming off of a 21-10 upset victory over Dan Lanning's Oregon Ducks and looking toward the future, especially on the defensive side of the ball where injuries and turnover have had a major effect. 

Coach Bret Bielema was impressed with Illinois' defense in its win over the Ducks, but he's not ready to crown defensive coordinator Roger Cooper as the man for the job full-time just yet, based on his latest comments. 

Bielema refused to commit to Cooper as his team's defensive coordinator for 2027, saying that he's waiting to see how the Illini defense finishes the season.

Finances will also factor into his decision, a common refrain from the Illini head coach.

"I have to financially...Have (a) conversation with (AD Josh Whitman) and all that goes into it," Bielema said according to Carson Gourdie of FOX-Illinois. 

He spoke with Cooper and told him part of his plan going forward. 

"I'm not going to promise you the job for next year, but I'll definitely give you an opportunity to show me what you got," Bielema said. 

Bielema has previously stated that finances have played a big role in his construction of Illinois' defense. The Illini rank toward the middle of the pack among major college football programs in NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) financial commitments, a financial situation Bielema intimated makes it difficult to secure commitments from elite defensive tackles. 

He added that the team attempted to get creative with its finances by bringing in former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck to run the defense, with his creative 3-3-5 scheme, but Hauck's tutelage produced mixed results. 

Bielema also commented on roster construction, saying that the defensive scheme matters in college football more than before the NIL era.

"When you're building a roster, it's so apparent now that you have to have a scheme that I think that the players can understand quickly because you're going to have so many transfers," the Illini coach said.

Illinois' 3-3-5 scheme did not perform well earlier in the season as Bielema's team gave up 31 points to Duke in a loss and 42 points to Ohio State. They also gave up 24 points to Purdue in a shocking loss that put them behind the eight-ball early on in Big Ten play.  

Cooper was schooled in the 3-3-5 under Hauck, a system that is not as widely used as other, more traditional counterparts throughout college football.