Such a sad recent trend with out QB's. Luke, your time to change everything for this program starts next Thursday. Let's GO
Illini Football 2024
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ahh, a post after my own heart. i truly appreciate it when someone takes the time to pull in some historical perspective.
Agreed. Like for example, Rutgers. Pretty big wildcard team IMO. Could see them having an 8 win type year but could also see them having a 4 win type year. There's no telling which one turns out and penciling them in to be a certain level good based off of would you think preseason - with no games under the belt - would just be wrong.
Same thing with us. Pretty wide range of possibilities. There's definitely a possibility this year is an uber success for us but there's also the possibility of the complete opposite. Need to wait and see how things truly play out before reaching any conclusions.
The biggest wildcard is injuries.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Example: I bet Wisconsin wasn’t expecting to get its !!! whooped by the Illini at home in 2022.
redwingillini11
White and Sixth
- North Aurora
I feel like the potential for a bowl game comes down to three games in the first half of the season. Kansas, Nebraska, and Purdue. Any outcome from 0-3 to 3-0 is possible. If we can go 2-1 or better, I think the season will be a roaring success. 1-2 and we are going to have to sweat out finding three wins against MSU, Rutgers, Minnesota, and Northwestern. While still possible, that seems like a steep ask. 0-3 and we may have a situation on our hands.
Why is Gabe on the senior bowl watch list?? Obviously because he is a senior but what???
Especially for us with our depth issues, although our depth is getting better, we still have a ways to go.
Senior Bowl not changing name despite juniors allowed in game beginning this year
Non-graduate underclassmen allowed in Mobile’s NFL draft showcase for first time this year
www.al.com
You know a ton of SEC schools tried to get home to transfer right?
Ok so they changed players who are eligible, have graduated college. If Gabe can graduate this year he is eligible. Still think it’s odd for a true Junior to be on the list. It’s more of a ‘he’s a true junior’ question, not questioning talent.Senior Bowl not changing name despite juniors allowed in game beginning this year
Non-graduate underclassmen allowed in Mobile’s NFL draft showcase for first time this year
He doesn't have to graduate.
"Non-graduate underclassmen are allowed in the Senior Bowl and other all-star games for the first time this year at the NFL’s request, making the name of Mobile’s football showcase something of a misnomer. "
I do believe he has to declare for the NFL draft. So when you hear BB talking about some youngers guys possibly leaving early, he would be one of them.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
My comment about a possible 3-0 start and how excited it would make me got me thinking about how it seems like we hardly EVER get that exciting start out of the gate to help engage and grow the fan base, even when "August Fever" makes it seem like it's right in front of us. Anyway, I decided to look up some our best starts to a season since 1990. Enjoy (or feel sad about...) the trip down memory lane. No strict parameters (e.g., first 6 games or anything like that), just what I considered to be the "start" to each individual year ... with some commentary, haha.
2022: 7-1
W 38-6 vs. Wyoming
L 23-20 at Indiana
W 24-3 vs. Virginia
W 31-0 vs. Chattanooga
W 34-10 at Wisconsin
W 9-6 vs. Iowa
W 26-14 vs. Minnesota (ILL #24)
W 26-9 at Nebraska (ILL #17)
*** Then, at #16, we lost to MSU at home in a real stinker in front of our largest crowd in almost a decade. What a disappointment! ***
2015: 4-1
W 52-3 vs. Kent State
W 44-0 vs. Western Illinois
L 48-14 at North Carolina
W 27-25 vs. Middle Tennessee
W 14-13 vs. Nebraska
*** Even with the bad loss at UNC, we won that thriller vs. Nebraska and played #22 Iowa really tough at Kinnick. Plus, we had Cubit as the interim coach, so it was a really pleasant surprise. I remember after that Iowa game thinking we could definitely make a bowl ... alas...) ***
2011: 6-0
W 33-15 vs. Arkansas State
W 56-3 vs. South Dakota State
W 17-14 vs. #22 Arizona State
W 23-20 vs. Western Michigan (ILL #24)
W 38-35 vs. Northwestern (ILL #22)
W 41-20 at Indiana (ILL #19)
*** There were certainly warning signs (close call vs. WMU and falling behind by so much vs. NU), but that thrilling win vs. a ranked ASU team and the beatdown in Bloomington had me believing we were legitimately good. We'd lose a frustrating game to an unranked (post-sanctions) OSU game to fall to 6-1 and wouldn't win another game the rest of the regular season, becoming the first team ever to start 6-0 and finish 0-6 ... at least we beat UCLA in our bowl! ***
2010: 4-2
L 23-13 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
W 35-3 vs. Southern Illinois
W 28-22 vs. Northern Illinois
L 24-13 vs. #2 Ohio State
W 33-13 at Penn State
*** This might seem like an odd pick, but I included it for three main reasons. (1) As a reminder, this was the year we demolished NU at Wrigley, and that is as special of a memory as I have seen in person as an Illini fan, especially with their whole "Chicago's Big Ten Team" slogan debuting that year! (2) I legitimately remember getting actual respect around the country when we played OSU that tough in front of a sellout crowd. (3) Even with the post-Sandusky situation, to go into Happy Valley and demolish PSU was a rare feat for us, haha. We'd end up making (and winning) a bowl, but some real stinkers like the 3OT loss at Michigan, the 4-point home loss to Minnesota and the 2-point loss at Fresno State to end the year REALLY held this talented team back. ***
2007: 5-1
L 34-30 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
W 21-0 vs. Western Illinois
W 41-20 at Syracuse
W 27-14 at Indiana
W 27-20 vs. #21 Penn State
W 31-26 vs. #5 Wisconsin
*** Obviously, the greatest memory of this season (winning at #1 OSU) was yet to come, but this 5-1 start had us in a spot we had not seen since 2001 ... and for me as a fan, I had NEVER seen us good like this. We would be ranked #18 when we lost a disaster of a 10-6 game at Iowa (another one I attended...), and then we lost that heartbreaker to Michigan at home. We'd win our last 4 to make the Rose Bowl, but I remember vividly thinking that if we beat Penn State, it means we're good ... and if we then beat Wisconsin, we were great. So, after that 5-1 start heading into Iowa City, MAN did I feel confident! ***
2001: 10-1
W 44-17 at Cal
W 17-12 vs. Northern Illinois
W 34-10 vs. #25 Louisville
L 45-20 at #17 Michigan (ILL #22)
W 32-14 vs. Minnesota
W 35-14 at Indiana
W 42-35 vs. Wisconsin
W 38-13 at #20 Purdue (ILL #21)
W 33-28 vs. Penn State (ILL #15)
W 34-22 at #25 Ohio State (ILL #12)
W 34-28 vs. Northwestern (ILL #10)
*** Yes, I know that is the whole regular season, haha ... but MAN do I wish I was old enough to remember this season! Let's just forget the outcome vs. LSU in the Sugar Bowl, haha. **
2000: 3-0
W 35-6 vs. Middle Tennessee (ILL #21)
W 49-13 at San Diego State (ILL #21)
W 17-15 vs. Cal (ILL #19)
*** It's not so much that this start itself was that great. However, 2000 was just the second time this millennium (besides 2008) that we have been in the preseason top 25, and I imagine fans were optimistic after a great 1999 season. We'd lose that ridiculous heartbreaker vs. Michigan in game 4 (that partially caused the Big Ten to adopt replay, another Illini Rule!!) in front of a now-unthinkable 72k+ crowd. We'd then go on to fail to make a bowl ... ugh. ***
1991: 4-1
W 38-31 vs. East Carolina
L 23-19 at Missouri
W 51-10 vs. #21 Houston
W 24-3 vs. Minnesota
W 10-7 vs. #11 Ohio State (ILL #20)
*** This was before my time, but I imagine that fans were feeling PRETTY pumped sitting at 4-1, with two ranked wins over #21 Houston and #11 OSU and our only loss being a 4-point game at Mizzou. After rising to #13, we'd lose a heartbreaker at Iowa and a 6-point game on the road vs. a Northwestern team that was 1-5 when we came to town... Overall, we'd lose 3 of our last 5, including a 6-3 loss to UCLA in the Sun Bowl that I imagine was just riveting, haha... ***
1990: 7-1
L 28-16 at Arizona (ILL #11)
W 23-22 vs. #9 Colorado (ILL #21)
W 56-21 vs. Southern Illinois (ILL #15)
W 31-20 at #20 Ohio State (ILL #13)
W 34-0 vs. Purdue (ILL #11)
W 15-13 vs. #24 Michigan State (ILL #8)
W 21-3 at Wisconsin (ILL #5)
*** All I can say is I am so jealous of you fans that got to live through the 1980s and early 1990s of Illini football, haha ... PLEASE do not ever forget that if we did it then, it can happen in the future. I know the landscape has changed, but we can at least get back to packed crowds at Memorial Stadium and EXPECTING a winning season every year. There is just too much infrastructure here to be consistently bad under competent leadership. As for this season, we would surprisingly get stomped by #13 Iowa at home in the next game and lose a close one at #19 Michigan the next week. An 8-3 regular season would end with a 30-0 blowout loss to #14 Clemson in the Hall of Fame Bowl - the ancestor of the ReliaQuest Bowl (called the Outback Bowl for most of my fan life) that we played in during the 2022 season. ***
2022: 7-1
W 38-6 vs. Wyoming
L 23-20 at Indiana
W 24-3 vs. Virginia
W 31-0 vs. Chattanooga
W 34-10 at Wisconsin
W 9-6 vs. Iowa
W 26-14 vs. Minnesota (ILL #24)
W 26-9 at Nebraska (ILL #17)
*** Then, at #16, we lost to MSU at home in a real stinker in front of our largest crowd in almost a decade. What a disappointment! ***
2015: 4-1
W 52-3 vs. Kent State
W 44-0 vs. Western Illinois
L 48-14 at North Carolina
W 27-25 vs. Middle Tennessee
W 14-13 vs. Nebraska
*** Even with the bad loss at UNC, we won that thriller vs. Nebraska and played #22 Iowa really tough at Kinnick. Plus, we had Cubit as the interim coach, so it was a really pleasant surprise. I remember after that Iowa game thinking we could definitely make a bowl ... alas...) ***
2011: 6-0
W 33-15 vs. Arkansas State
W 56-3 vs. South Dakota State
W 17-14 vs. #22 Arizona State
W 23-20 vs. Western Michigan (ILL #24)
W 38-35 vs. Northwestern (ILL #22)
W 41-20 at Indiana (ILL #19)
*** There were certainly warning signs (close call vs. WMU and falling behind by so much vs. NU), but that thrilling win vs. a ranked ASU team and the beatdown in Bloomington had me believing we were legitimately good. We'd lose a frustrating game to an unranked (post-sanctions) OSU game to fall to 6-1 and wouldn't win another game the rest of the regular season, becoming the first team ever to start 6-0 and finish 0-6 ... at least we beat UCLA in our bowl! ***
2010: 4-2
L 23-13 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
W 35-3 vs. Southern Illinois
W 28-22 vs. Northern Illinois
L 24-13 vs. #2 Ohio State
W 33-13 at Penn State
*** This might seem like an odd pick, but I included it for three main reasons. (1) As a reminder, this was the year we demolished NU at Wrigley, and that is as special of a memory as I have seen in person as an Illini fan, especially with their whole "Chicago's Big Ten Team" slogan debuting that year! (2) I legitimately remember getting actual respect around the country when we played OSU that tough in front of a sellout crowd. (3) Even with the post-Sandusky situation, to go into Happy Valley and demolish PSU was a rare feat for us, haha. We'd end up making (and winning) a bowl, but some real stinkers like the 3OT loss at Michigan, the 4-point home loss to Minnesota and the 2-point loss at Fresno State to end the year REALLY held this talented team back. ***
2007: 5-1
L 34-30 vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO)
W 21-0 vs. Western Illinois
W 41-20 at Syracuse
W 27-14 at Indiana
W 27-20 vs. #21 Penn State
W 31-26 vs. #5 Wisconsin
*** Obviously, the greatest memory of this season (winning at #1 OSU) was yet to come, but this 5-1 start had us in a spot we had not seen since 2001 ... and for me as a fan, I had NEVER seen us good like this. We would be ranked #18 when we lost a disaster of a 10-6 game at Iowa (another one I attended...), and then we lost that heartbreaker to Michigan at home. We'd win our last 4 to make the Rose Bowl, but I remember vividly thinking that if we beat Penn State, it means we're good ... and if we then beat Wisconsin, we were great. So, after that 5-1 start heading into Iowa City, MAN did I feel confident! ***
2001: 10-1
W 44-17 at Cal
W 17-12 vs. Northern Illinois
W 34-10 vs. #25 Louisville
L 45-20 at #17 Michigan (ILL #22)
W 32-14 vs. Minnesota
W 35-14 at Indiana
W 42-35 vs. Wisconsin
W 38-13 at #20 Purdue (ILL #21)
W 33-28 vs. Penn State (ILL #15)
W 34-22 at #25 Ohio State (ILL #12)
W 34-28 vs. Northwestern (ILL #10)
*** Yes, I know that is the whole regular season, haha ... but MAN do I wish I was old enough to remember this season! Let's just forget the outcome vs. LSU in the Sugar Bowl, haha. **
2000: 3-0
W 35-6 vs. Middle Tennessee (ILL #21)
W 49-13 at San Diego State (ILL #21)
W 17-15 vs. Cal (ILL #19)
*** It's not so much that this start itself was that great. However, 2000 was just the second time this millennium (besides 2008) that we have been in the preseason top 25, and I imagine fans were optimistic after a great 1999 season. We'd lose that ridiculous heartbreaker vs. Michigan in game 4 (that partially caused the Big Ten to adopt replay, another Illini Rule!!) in front of a now-unthinkable 72k+ crowd. We'd then go on to fail to make a bowl ... ugh. ***
1991: 4-1
W 38-31 vs. East Carolina
L 23-19 at Missouri
W 51-10 vs. #21 Houston
W 24-3 vs. Minnesota
W 10-7 vs. #11 Ohio State (ILL #20)
*** This was before my time, but I imagine that fans were feeling PRETTY pumped sitting at 4-1, with two ranked wins over #21 Houston and #11 OSU and our only loss being a 4-point game at Mizzou. After rising to #13, we'd lose a heartbreaker at Iowa and a 6-point game on the road vs. a Northwestern team that was 1-5 when we came to town... Overall, we'd lose 3 of our last 5, including a 6-3 loss to UCLA in the Sun Bowl that I imagine was just riveting, haha... ***
1990: 7-1
L 28-16 at Arizona (ILL #11)
W 23-22 vs. #9 Colorado (ILL #21)
W 56-21 vs. Southern Illinois (ILL #15)
W 31-20 at #20 Ohio State (ILL #13)
W 34-0 vs. Purdue (ILL #11)
W 15-13 vs. #24 Michigan State (ILL #8)
W 21-3 at Wisconsin (ILL #5)
*** All I can say is I am so jealous of you fans that got to live through the 1980s and early 1990s of Illini football, haha ... PLEASE do not ever forget that if we did it then, it can happen in the future. I know the landscape has changed, but we can at least get back to packed crowds at Memorial Stadium and EXPECTING a winning season every year. There is just too much infrastructure here to be consistently bad under competent leadership. As for this season, we would surprisingly get stomped by #13 Iowa at home in the next game and lose a close one at #19 Michigan the next week. An 8-3 regular season would end with a 30-0 blowout loss to #14 Clemson in the Hall of Fame Bowl - the ancestor of the ReliaQuest Bowl (called the Outback Bowl for most of my fan life) that we played in during the 2022 season. ***
House flag has been raised, signifying our current tie for the lead in the Big Ten standings.
Great rebuttal for whichever poster said that at 6-3 this year we would be in the playoff conversation. GMAB. Back in the 80s / 90s we had some national respect, but in the last 20 years it took an enormous performance to get any attention. All the great starts above and our highest ranking was 17th.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
And even better, until the games are played we are pretty much always first because of alphabetical order!
i remember white-knuckling a drive home from a friend's after a late night out friday while listening to that penn state game on the radio. other wins were nice, but after a close win vs. niu and getting blown out in ann arbor, that win is when it was clear illinois might win the whole damn thing.
We have eight home games this year which means at least eight wins.
Yet another reason to keep Clemson out of the Big TenAnd even better, until the games are played we are pretty much always first because of alphabetical order!
Wow, a lot of great memories in that list. My favorite time was one you pointed out too, the Wisc win the week after beating Penn St in 2007. The excitement in the stands that day is what I compare every experience to since then. Nothing has measured up yet but I have hope.
robertgoulet
IL Board Resident Crooner
- Austin, TX
Well...based on the way the seasons finished I think you could definitely say the lack of attention (or respect) was ultimately warranted.Great rebuttal for whichever poster said that at 6-3 this year we would be in the playoff conversation. GMAB. Back in the 80s / 90s we had some national respect, but in the last 20 years it took an enormous performance to get any attention. All the great starts above and our highest ranking was 17th.
blackdog
- Champaign
Does this not count as playoff conversation?Great rebuttal for whichever poster said that at 6-3 this year we would be in the playoff conversation. GMAB. Back in the 80s / 90s we had some national respect, but in the last 20 years it took an enormous performance to get any attention. All the great starts above and our highest ranking was 17th.
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