Illinois Fighting Illini (you'll see)

[TheIronColonel]

What in the heck is Darrin's problem? Talk about a nutcase. Despite the fact that Boyd probably doesn't wind up at OSU or Illinois, you'd think this was some kind of big deal. Who cares if some paper doesn't list Illinois? Is Boyd going to read the paper and suddenly say "I guess I'm not going to Illinois because the paper didn't list them"? Christ on a crutch, take a pill dude.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

What in the heck is Darrin's problem? Talk about a nutcase. Despite the fact that Boyd probably doesn't wind up at OSU or Illinois, you'd think this was some kind of big deal. Who cares if some paper doesn't list Illinois? Is Boyd going to read the paper and suddenly say "I guess I'm not going to Illinois because the paper didn't list them"? Christ on a crutch, take a pill dude.

What are you talking about? This is the crime of the century and Darrin will expose it as any true American should.

 

[OrangeRoughy]

Gosh - I leave for 5 days and miss yet another Illini smackdown. You guys do a good job of thinning the herd around here - I can't even visit the Illini football scout board any more due to the excessive idiocy. The Illini Nation has this shiny new Rose Bowl toy (thanks, tOSU!) and has NO IDEA how to play with it.

No matter. We here at Channel Roughy will continue to bring you the latest in Illini opinion and Zook worship. Which leads me to...

If you are so damn stupid to honestly think that we would intentionally delete Illifuckingflashinthepanois out of some damn article, you really are more an idiot than I originally thought.

I like to be remembered. I'm kinda attention-whoreish that way. And in 4 years, you guys will remember me for one thing: The guy who repeatedly told you that the Illinois Fighting Zooksters are no flash in the pan. This isn't late-80s MSU, mid-90s Northwestern, late-90s Purdue, or early-00s Iowa. Those teams were built on systems, not talent. And when the systems has some talent (Darnell Autry at NW, Drew Brees at Purdue, etc.), they excelled. But that's not the way Zook is building the Illini. He's building it on the latest fad offense, his NFL-ish defense (neither of which is a perfect system by any means and will change/morph over the years), and recruiting, recruiting, recruiting.

Again, we're not there yet. I foresee a 7-5 Champs Sports Bowl season for us this year. We'll still be starting four "Turner Two-Stars" this year - the talent level just isn't there quite yet. But in 2009...

- You guys lose 12-14 starters and we catch you in September when Pryor is still pretty green.
- Wisconsin loses 10-12 starters and their poor recruiting the last 3 years really catches up to them
- PSU loses 10+ starters and their poor recruiting the last 3 years really catches up to them.
- Michigan will be coming off their first losing season in a generation and will be starting Newsome at QB as a true freshman.
- Illinois will return 18 starters with Juice going into his senior season and Benn his last season before turning pro. 5-star Florida transfer Jarred Fayson will be eligible at WR. And most importantly, 14 of the 22 starters will be of the 4-star and 5-star variety. (when Zook took over, we had 3).

As I've been saying to people since the future Big Ten schedule came out several years ago, Illinois arrives on the scene* Halloween Night, October 31, 2009. That talented, senior-laden team will break our (gulp) 26 year home losing streak to Michigan, move us toward a BCS bowl, and hopefully pull in our first Big Ten title since 2001.

* To this Illinois fan "arrives on the scene" means leapfrogging Wisconsin/PSU to be the consistent #3 Big Ten team and a constant thorn in the side of the Big Two.

 

[wadc45]

I like OrangeRoughy...

 

[TheIronColonel]

Your analysis doesn't seem unreasonable, although you assume that your seniors will be better than our sophomores. It's plausible, although I'm still not sure that I'd take a senior Juice Williams over a sophomore Terrelle Pryor, even site-unseen.

 

[Oh8ch]

- Illinois will return 18 starters with Juice going into his senior season and Benn his last season before turning pro. 5-star Florida transfer Jarred Fayson will be eligible at WR. And most importantly, 14 of the 22 starters will be of the 4-star and 5-star variety. (when Zook took over, we had 3).

That and some solid coaching will get you better than 3rd in the Big Ten.

Our matchup should be classic, but don't sell our QB spot short. You will get Henton in his 4th year, Bauserman in his 3rd, or a Pryor who was good enough to beat both of them for the job.

And for the record, counting kids who are on the roster and not seniors or who have already committed - we have over FIFTY 4 and 5 star players. To look at that another way, if we start 22 four and five star players we will still have twice as many on our bench as the 14 you mention for Illinois.

Experience will be on your side, but you wont catch us napping in 2009.

 

[shetuck]

...Again, we're not there yet. I foresee a 7-5 Champs Sports Bowl season for us this year. We'll still be starting four "Turner Two-Stars" this year - the talent level just isn't there quite yet. But in 2009...

- You guys lose 12-14 starters and we catch you in September when Pryor is still pretty green.
- Wisconsin loses 10-12 starters and their poor recruiting the last 3 years really catches up to them
- PSU loses 10+ starters and their poor recruiting the last 3 years really catches up to them.
- Michigan will be coming off their first losing season in a generation and will be starting Newsome at QB as a true freshman.
- Illinois will return 18 starters with Juice going into his senior season and Benn his last season before turning pro. 5-star Florida transfer Jarred Fayson will be eligible at WR. And most importantly, 14 of the 22 starters will be of the 4-star and 5-star variety. (when Zook took over, we had 3).

As I've been saying to people since the future Big Ten schedule came out several years ago, Illinois arrives on the scene* Halloween Night, October 31, 2009. That talented, senior-laden team will break our (gulp) 26 year home losing streak to Michigan, move us toward a BCS bowl, and hopefully pull in our first Big Ten title since 2001.

* To this Illinois fan "arrives on the scene" means leapfrogging Wisconsin/PSU to be the consistent #3 Big Ten team and a constant thorn in the side of the Big Two.

So are you saying that you're going to *peak* in 2009?

Or are you saying that once you guys *arrive* in 2009, somehow magically everybody else is just going to stay *down* for the foreseeable future? Then you will continue, forevermore, to outpace everyone else in the conference because everyone else in the conference will fall into an indefinite period of dormancy, and you will remain in the lead astride the horse you rode in on?

If you're saying you're going to peak, I'd ask you, "How long before you hit the trough again?" (sorry for all the horse innuendo... )

Are you saying that Purdue will never again pick up a guy like Brees?

Or other teams like Iowa, Northwestern, MSU are never again going to find their hearts, even for a season?

The tier-two programs in the Big Ten (like Illinois) will have their up years and their down years and have a reasonable *chance* (random probability) of going for the roses once every decade or so. Nothting more. Nothing less.

Zook isn't in Illinois to build a dynasty. Zook's in Illinois because he needed a job. I wouldn't go hitching my horse to him, but I guess if he's the only ride you got to get your flash-in-the-pan, then by all means enjoy because once he's gone, you'll wonder what happened to all of that hubris you all once felt.

 

[osugrad21]

...

I'll accept that and tell you that phrase was more of a reaction than anything...I don't take kindly to morons bashing the work we do around here. I'm not sure if anyone picked up on that or not

Anyway, Illinois is on a solid path right now...

 

[matcar]

I'll accept that and tell you that phrase was more of a reaction than anything...I don't take kindly to morons bashing the work we do around here. I'm not sure if anyone picked up on that or not

Anyway, Illinois is on a solid path right now...

Yup, Illi is on a solid path right now, and I'm glad for that. The key will be sustaining and keeping Zook if they DO sustain.

 

[jwinslow]

Strong stuff again from roughy, showing how to bring it strong instead of using martrydom as an excuse. I'd say the same thing if he said he thought ill was the clearcut best in 09, b/c he would back it up with rationale, not juvenile hyperbole.

Hopefully ill can provide the consistent 'thorn in our (big 2) side' that psu was to provide. That seems unlikely to happen until schiano revives that sleeping giant.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Hopefully ill can provide the consistent 'thorn in our (big 2) side' that psu was to provide.

Sorry, but I never want Illinois to become the thorn Illinois was to us from '88 to '94.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Sorry, but I never want Illinois to become the thorn Illinois was to us from '88 to '94.

That was one of our worst eras of football. Compare those teams to the ones Tressel is fielding and it's not even close. No matter what Illinois does, we're still going to be extremely good year in and year out.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

That was one of our worst eras of football. Compare those teams to the ones Tressel is fielding and it's not even close. No matter what Illinois does, we're still going to be extremely good year in and year out.

While that may be true, I still don't want Illinois or any other team to rise near/to our level, which is what it would take to be a "thorn in our side".

I'm very confortable going 22-2 in conference every three years...

 

[Muck]

What in the heck is Darrin's problem?

Children + Internet = douchebaggery

While that may be true, I still don't want Illinois or any other team to rise near/to our level, which is what it would take to be a "thorn in our side".

I'm very confortable going 22-2 in conference every three years...

Absolutely agreed. Dominating weak conferences is the only reason Miami & FSU made it to high profile bowls & mNCs.

Kicking the crap out of merely average Big10 teams & playing in BCS bowls isn't something I'm ever going to lose any sleep over.

 

[jwinslow]

Sorry, but I never want Illinois to become the thorn Illinois was to us from '88 to '94.

It's a double edged sword, to be sure. But right now this conference needs a shot in the arm, and if JT is going to keep UM at bay, someone else is going to have to step up for the competitiveness and credibility of the conference. Unless JoePa dies soon, that won't be PSU.