I am not a Buckeye fan but I do agree they are very good. Saying that they better be ready for some tougher games in the playoffs. You better hope their schedule got them ready.
Illinois over Wisconsin
- Thread starter Cross Bones
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I am not a Buckeye fan but I do agree they are very good. Saying that they better be ready for some tougher games in the playoffs. You better hope their schedule got them ready.
I read that soon after the game in Memorial Stadium, "Jump Around" began blaring from the PA address system. Talk about twisting the knife!
According to Sagarin we have the toughest schedule of any in his top 10 outside of Auburn and Oregon so far. And we have Wisky/PSU/UM to go so we will be ready.
Contenders schedule strength according to Sagarin:
tOSU - 32
Bama - 52
Okie - 48 and not getting better
Clemson - 42 and not getting better
LSU - 41
PSU - 47
ND - 38
Northwestern #1 in schedule strength so far.
So apparently they only need to win 5 in a row and they will be battle tested for the postseason.
So apparently they only need to win 5 in a row and they will be battle tested for the postseason.
Here is the problem with schedule strength. When you suck, everyone on the schedule looks good. LOL!
The reality for the Illini is that you have to go out of state for the skill position guys. The high D1 HS talent level in Illinois is not as deep as public perception. Add in that the top level talent in Illinois is not particularly either loyal to the state school or national schools come in to pick up that talent, you are left with a in state recruiting pool that is difficult. As a point of example, the fact that Loyola is a top team year in year out in the largest state classification with a roster of DIII and lower level DI talent, is an example of this.
The irony was not ignored inside the stadium...my facebook post had the beginnings of the crowd taking the field with the caption,
"Now that's a Homecoming Win!!!!
Doing Jump Around on the Badgers!!!!"
But one thing is for sure, as long as the student section is in the elevated north endzone there will not be any instances of students being crushed trying to get onto the field like they had at Camp Randall in '93...That had to be the slowest taking of the field I've ever seen...
If Loyola was the largest D1 talent producing school then that would be relevant. What Loyola proves is that you win with solid players at every position. Some other schools have proven that with the right D1 bodies you can sometimes upset the more talented roster.
The Illini have just enough to be dangerous.
1. You know Lovie is going to coach a solid defense.
2. The USC transfer receiver is legit and poses defenses issues with his size and athleticism.
3. Smalling is a player.
4. Peters can play. He was in a bad spot at a bad time at UM.
...just enough to be dangerous.
1. You know Lovie is going to coach a solid defense.
2. The USC transfer receiver is legit and poses defenses issues with his size and athleticism.
3. Smalling is a player.
4. Peters can play. He was in a bad spot at a bad time at UM.
...just enough to be dangerous.
Meh.
I think you have a underwhelming defintion of solid. Or you’re trolling Loyola guys. Lol
I think more than a few Michigan fans would rather see Peters than Patterson. Patterson has been mediocre at best.
Perhaps some perspective. I think Brook's 2011 team had mostly solid players on D and 1 exceptional. On offense there was 1 exceptional 1 standout a few solid and some that had to be hidden.
So AJ Henning isn’t top level talent? Committed to Michigan and turned down Alabama among a bunch of other top college programs. Illinois can’t recruit the best in their own state because they have sucked for so long. Their is plenty of top level talent in Illinois but they choose to go elsewhere.
Possibly. He is rated considerably lower than Patterson as a HS SR.
HS ratings are all good and all but you are only as good as your college coaching. Not many kids are going to UM and being transformed into incredible players. You could argue that under Harbaugh the offensive recruits are regressing after they get on campus.
The B1G needs a strong program in AA. They are close but have to beat OSU, PSU, and Sparty. Saturday night would help too but I’m not sure they can.
Hot take that will likely be unpopular: If you want to play in the B1G and turn down OSU, just go to Northwestern. Nobody else has a shot at a national title so Michigan is actually a downgrade at this point from NU.
Why does the big 10 need a strong program in Ann Arbor? I understand that as a a conference, it helps when you have as many good teams as possible, but why does it matter if it is Michigan? If the big 10 has X number of teams that are relevant in the national picture, who cares if one of them is or is not Mich?
Exactly. Sparty has been solid the last 5-10 years, Sconnie is always solid (last year excluded) and Minnesota is on the rise under PJ. More than anything the B1G needs parity and more than one national contender.
I’d argue you would get better coaching in Evanston, and it’s not really even close. Fitz has done an amazing job.
Agree. UM would be the easiest to attain at this point. They have talent. Indiana, Purdue, MN, Neb are all on the upswing. Iowa is always steady, as is Bucky.
Chief Illiniwek 2-0 and Bucky Badger 0-2 the past 2 weeks? What in Tarnation is going on?
I am truly enjoying this. A win over Rutgers puts them at 5-4 with 3 to play. Illini are very young too. Wait till next year
First 3 game conference winning streak since 2007. 1 more win would be huge for extra practice and recruiting
I think Fleck should be looking at the Gophers like Barry Alvarez did with Bucky, and not be the next Lou Holtz...Fitz has a job for life at Northwestern. Fleck could have the same at Minnesota. The potential name / image / likeness opportunities as the only D1 school in the state will be massive. The Gophers could return to the national championships era under the new system...I would not be surprised to see USC & UCLA fall off the map in the NIL era, because if you want a spokesman in Los Angeles are you going to call the USC QB, some well-known actor, or someone from the 8 pro teams...
The success transfers to Illinois have been having is only going to help as well. Cam Harrell, Bradley speedster who originally went to Iowa and is playing at COD this year, was at the game today...