Illinois must start fast
September 4, 2009 10:06 AM
Best-case scenario for Illinois: It finally handles Missouri in their fifth dome meeting in St. Louis on Saturday and is competitive enough against Big Ten favorites Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State -- which all could be top-25 teams -- after gobbling up Illinois State to be no worse than 3-2 after five games. Then it rides its high-octane offense to a strong finish in its last seven games and earns the quality bowl bid it craves.
Worst-case scenario for Illinois: Missouri, the retooling underdog, upsets the Illini, who can't find enough answers on defense. The front-loaded Big Ten schedule gets the best of Illinois, which plays tentatively. The Illini start pressing and struggle in those last seven games and again are reduced to looking for answers after another disappointing campaign.
Gould
Worst-case scenario for Illinois: Missouri, the retooling underdog, upsets the Illini, who can't find enough answers on defense. The front-loaded Big Ten schedule gets the best of Illinois, which plays tentatively. The Illini start pressing and struggle in those last seven games and again are reduced to looking for answers after another disappointing campaign.
Gould
Filed under: Illini Football, Missouri Tigers
