Illinois vs Michigan State, Saturday, November 16th, 1:30pm CT, FS1

#27      
illinifan1987
OrangeBlue98 said:
Most important game of the season for the team. Will this team win a game that shows it's on the path to sustainability, or will it be "same old Illinois?"
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The Office No GIF
 
#31      
Bucktown
Illinijoe said:
We are the better team stat wise. However, in 2022, we were heavy favorites (as in -16 or 16.5 at one point) and came out complete flat. At this point, just win.
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MSU rallied with the adversity in that game, and we let them get in our heads instead of just playing.

This is a critical game for stabilizing the season. Lose this, and I think 6-6 is more likely than 8-4.
 
#32      
BZuppke
Losing to #1 Oregon out there is no embarrassment. Losing at home to Minnesota is that one that went the other way. Losing to MSU at home will absolutely ruin our season as we limp into a bowl. Go 2-1 or 3-0 and we’ll have made this a pretty good year.
 
#33      
Dkayak
Bucktown said:
MSU rallied with the adversity in that game, and we let them get in our heads instead of just playing.

This is a critical game for stabilizing the season. Lose this, and I think 6-6 is more likely than 8-4.
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MSU also had an incredible string of “injuries”, which slowed things down to their benefit. Apparently they had been training in the school of soccer flops.
 
#34      
Chukwuwumba
I wonder if after the Michigan game, with so much visibility and pressure, they have collectively let down- like taken a breath. Michigan game was a few years in making, bowl eligibility achieved. Have not played well in 2 games since.
Hopefully bye week can step away for a week, the. Come back and refocus.
 
#35      
Chukwuwumba
Fix Oline. Oline playing well, Luke playing well seems coincidental to Oline playing poorly and Luke not having a good game. Can probably connect this over the last 2 years.
 
#36      
blackdog
Chukwuwumba said:
I wonder if after the Michigan game, with so much visibility and pressure, they have collectively let down- like taken a breath. Michigan game was a few years in making, bowl eligibility achieved. Have not played well in 2 games since.
Hopefully bye week can step away for a week, the. Come back and refocus.
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Or we actually pulled off upsets against Kansas and Michigan, won a toss up at Nebraska, beat the teams below us, and lost to teams better than us.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1853105738530394555
 
#37      
fatt lacosse
Our defense is just so much worse with X out that I'm tempted to say the game result depends entirely on his status.

That being said, here are three factors that work in our favor regardless:

1. Bielema's record off a bye week is incredible. Granted, his first post-bye win of 2024 was not very impressive, but it was still a victory.
2. MSU is much worse in the trenches than a lot of teams we've played. They're squishy in the middle on both sides of the ball. We've been losing up front a lot lately, but we have no excuse to get pushed around by these guys.
3. Aidan Chiles has not done a tremendous job taking care of the ball. Illinois has done well when they out-execute opponents and MSU is a young team with a first-year head coach. They have not been playing very clean football. Illinois feasts on opponents like that.
 
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