2018 Prediction Thread

[the national]

Just curious as to why 99% of you predictors have us losing to Iowa.
I would mark that game down as a win this year.

Its at home and they have some question marks. Somehow I feel like this could be a trap game for them. I like our chances.

 

[SampsonRelpenk]

While I undoubtedly think this is still LARGELY the case, I do believe that the addition of Grange Grove (which has been a homerun, if you ask me ... get a good team, and that place will be one of the better tailgating atmospheres in the conference, period) has helped this a little.

The only game I've made it to in the Lovie era was the Nebraska Friday night game last year, and ho-ly cow, the Grange Grove is awesome. The first thing I said when I walked in with my dad was "Why did it take so long for them to do this? Imagine what it would look like with a team that can win SIX GAMES." We had loads of fun just walking around, taking it in. After the beer tent closed up shop I sweet talked some frat boys into sharing their Natty Light. Then the game started...

 

[Deleted member 29907]

Illinois has the best bar scene of any college that isnt ASU. Theres no reason to go to the games as a student, really.

Really, call me old fashioned but win, lose or draw there is no better experience than being at a game. Tailgate before hand, get outside - enjoy the great outdoors - the bars will be there later on. Teams that fill stadiums focus on the surrounding community and not the students - largely for this reason. Then focus on the students who are actually sports fans.

 

[sbillini]

Really, call me old fashioned but win, lose or draw there is no better experience than being at a game. Tailgate before hand, get outside - enjoy the great outdoors - the bars will be there later on. Teams that fill stadiums focus on the surrounding community and not the students - largely for this reason. Then focus on the students who are actually sports fans.

agreed. Total enrollment at UIUC is ~46k. Memorial stadium capacity is ~61k. Even if you get every single student to attend a game, the stadium is still not close to being full. The community is just as (if not more) important.

Another way to think about this is at Michigan games. The student section is typically not even close to being full at the start of the game (outside of perhaps OSU and MSU). For the earlier game times (noon), the student section often doesn't fill in until halftime cuz the pregame parties are still going. But you wouldn't be able to tell that easily from tv, cuz the community is the majority of the fans attending.

 

[Hoppy2105]

Most of our games are at 11 or 2 anyway. Why are students going to the bars that early with all that (ugh) natural light??

Go to the game, tailgate, get a little tipsy, yell at the other team as loud as you can for a couple hours, THEN go to the bar as the sun sets and enjoy the cover that darkness/low lighting provides.

Seeing bars in the daytime just seems odd to me.

 

[ChiefIllini]

Just curious as to why 99% of you predictors have us losing to Iowa.
I would mark that game down as a win this year.

FWIW, Iowa got top 25 votes in the AP poll (preseason). They have a great D line and should have improved QB play. Plus, the Ferentz effect is strong. Solid 7 win team. We might be one of the 5 losses, but I doubt it. That all being said, they are not on the same level as PSU and Wisconsin in terms of games on our schedule.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Is that true?

I love going back to Champaign with my fellow Iowa grad friends, and they ALWAYS have a great time/remark how fun Champaign is ... but no. It's not true, and I would rank Iowa City above it. However, Champaign is up there, IMO. I have only "gone out" in the following college towns in my time, but I would rank them as follows (strictly on a "college bar scene" basis):

1. Iowa City, IA
2. Madison, WI
3. Champaign, IL
4. Nashville, TN
5. Lawrence, KS
6. Milwaukee, WI (the area by Marquette)
7. Lincoln, NE
8. Cedar Falls, IA
9. Indianapolis, IN (Broad Ripple, up by Butler)

I have seen the campus bar scene at Northwestern (Evanston, IL) and Colorado State (Fort Collins, CO), and I think Evanston would rank just below Cedar Falls and Fort Collins would fit in somewhere by Champaign.

Point is, with each year of Big Ten fans and new students visiting the redeveloped Champaign (I'd mark this as post-Hyatt coming in downtown, so 2014ish), the reputation of it as a college town is growing exponentially better ... can only help attendance.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Just curious as to why 99% of you predictors have us losing to Iowa.
I would mark that game down as a win this year.

For me personally, that would be because I got in the car with my Hawkeyes friends and drove 3.5 hours to watch a 28-0 beatdown in the freezing cold wind two years ago and lost all hope.

For real, though, we could definitely sneak a win vs. Iowa at home if we haven't "folded" again by that point in the season. If we play like we did last year vs. them and are a bit more mature/improved, we definitely have a chance.

 

[Second and Chalmers]

Point is, with each year of Big Ten fans and new students visiting the redeveloped Champaign (I'd mark this as post-Hyatt coming in downtown, so 2014ish), the reputation of it as a college town is growing exponentially better ... can only help attendance.

Yes. Champaign becomes a nicer and nicer place every year.

Of course, niceness doesn't always correlate with a great college bar scene, RIP CO's.

 

[Ramrod2010]

Yes. Champaign becomes a nicer and nicer place every year.

Of course, niceness doesn't always correlate with a great college bar scene, RIP CO's.

You can jump to some wild and amusing conclusions about a person based on their bar preference.

 

[ChiefIllini]

You can jump to some wild and amusing conclusions about a person based on their bar preference.

To keep with the theme of this thread, some would say it's a good predictor of their personality.

 

[breadman]

I love going back to Champaign with my fellow Iowa grad friends, and they ALWAYS have a great time/remark how fun Champaign is ... but no. It's not true, and I would rank Iowa City above it. However, Champaign is up there, IMO. I have only "gone out" in the following college towns in my time, but I would rank them as follows (strictly on a "college bar scene" basis):

1. Iowa City, IA
2. Madison, WI
3. Champaign, IL
4. Nashville, TN
5. Lawrence, KS
6. Milwaukee, WI (the area by Marquette)
7. Lincoln, NE
8. Cedar Falls, IA
9. Indianapolis, IN (Broad Ripple, up by Butler)

I have seen the campus bar scene at Northwestern (Evanston, IL) and Colorado State (Fort Collins, CO), and I think Evanston would rank just below Cedar Falls and Fort Collins would fit in somewhere by Champaign.

Point is, with each year of Big Ten fans and new students visiting the redeveloped Champaign (I'd mark this as post-Hyatt coming in downtown, so 2014ish), the reputation of it as a college town is growing exponentially better ... can only help attendance.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is not enough money to pay for this kind of valuable education. Where do I sign up?

 

[BananaShampoo]

Is that true?

As somebody who went to both Illinois and ASU, it is pretty accurate.

 

[BananaShampoo]

I love going back to Champaign with my fellow Iowa grad friends, and they ALWAYS have a great time/remark how fun Champaign is ... but no. It's not true, and I would rank Iowa City above it. However, Champaign is up there, IMO. I have only "gone out" in the following college towns in my time, but I would rank them as follows (strictly on a "college bar scene" basis):

1. Iowa City, IA
2. Madison, WI
3. Champaign, IL
4. Nashville, TN
5. Lawrence, KS
6. Milwaukee, WI (the area by Marquette)
7. Lincoln, NE
8. Cedar Falls, IA
9. Indianapolis, IN (Broad Ripple, up by Butler)

I have seen the campus bar scene at Northwestern (Evanston, IL) and Colorado State (Fort Collins, CO), and I think Evanston would rank just below Cedar Falls and Fort Collins would fit in somewhere by Champaign.

Point is, with each year of Big Ten fans and new students visiting the redeveloped Champaign (I'd mark this as post-Hyatt coming in downtown, so 2014ish), the reputation of it as a college town is growing exponentially better ... can only help attendance.

I've seen a college towns in my day, including all of the ones you mentioned except for Indy near Butler and Marquette. I can add the following to the list of ones I've been to and seen the bar scene in (only including big school here, no EIUs, etc):

ASU (attended for grad school)
U of Arizona
scUM
Purdon't
IU
Iowa St
UCLA
Ohio St
U of Washington
CU Boulder
Minny
UC Davis
Boise St
UNC Chapel Hill
NC State
Tennessee
Notre Dame

I put ASU and Illinois right at the top as far as drinking/bar scene. ASU has it beat just due to the sheer number and quality of places right on Mill Avenue within blocks of campus and where many of the students live. Plus the football stadium is only blocks away as well. The sheer number of places to go is mind blowing. I agree Madison and Iowa City have great scenes but get points deducted due to being farther away from the actual campus and stadiums. Of the others I mentioned CU Boulder would be right there with us and ASU do to sheer number of awesome places, and the awesome pedestrian mall lines with breweries, shops, etc. and the amazing views of the Flatirons basically right there next to town and visible from the stadium and a lot of the establishments. I hate to say it but IU Bloomington would be fairly high up there, also. Somehow that town has managed to retain a lot of the older character and not change so much like C-U has, which in some ways is a good thing. Still, most of the drinking establishments are further from campus so it get's dinged there.

 

[StateFarmCenter]

I love going back to Champaign with my fellow Iowa grad friends, and they ALWAYS have a great time/remark how fun Champaign is ... but no. It's not true, and I would rank Iowa City above it. However, Champaign is up there, IMO. I have only "gone out" in the following college towns in my time, but I would rank them as follows (strictly on a "college bar scene" basis):

1. Iowa City, IA
2. Madison, WI
3. Champaign, IL
4. Nashville, TN
5. Lawrence, KS
6. Milwaukee, WI (the area by Marquette)
7. Lincoln, NE
8. Cedar Falls, IA
9. Indianapolis, IN (Broad Ripple, up by Butler)

I have seen the campus bar scene at Northwestern (Evanston, IL) and Colorado State (Fort Collins, CO), and I think Evanston would rank just below Cedar Falls and Fort Collins would fit in somewhere by Champaign.

Point is, with each year of Big Ten fans and new students visiting the redeveloped Champaign (I'd mark this as post-Hyatt coming in downtown, so 2014ish), the reputation of it as a college town is growing exponentially better ... can only help attendance.

I'm talking for students mind you.

Nothing can top Mill Street/ASU. That said Illinois has an amazing bar scene for anywhere and they're actually on campus. When you add on the fact that the bar age is 19, that's a game changer for students.

 

[skyIdub]

Nashville, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee do not qualify. They are not "college towns". They are large metro areas with multiple colleges.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Nashville, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee do not qualify. They are not "college towns". They are large metro areas with multiple colleges.

I was specifically talking about the bar areas in those towns designated as “campus bars,” but I’m fine with not including them.

 

[FiveStar]

UT Austin has a pretty damn good bar scene on dirty 6th if that’s what you’re into.

Halloween is extra interesting.

I was always more of club person myself. In CU the closest I could get was Joe’s hip hop night, Cly’s, and the occasional ying yang twins play at COs

 

[thunderwear]

Is that true?

Not even remotely true

 

[JDHalfrack]

I am finding this season very hard to predict. How good is the offense really? Have our young guys developed as much as our orange colored glasses say they have? Is Lovie on a hot seat? Is the rest of the Big Ten as down as we want to believe?

If I was just going to throw out a number, I'd say 4 wins, and not really elaborate. But what's the fun in that? So, I detailed my prediction below. I think if absolutely everything goes 100% right, we could actually win 8 games. But, if everything goes the way it usually does, we win only 2. What a weird time to be an Illini fan. That said, I feel like each game needs to be looked at in context of where/when it's being played.

Orange - Home
Blue - Away
Green - "Neutral"

Kent State - W
Western Illinois - W
If we lose either of these first two games, then I don't think we win more than 2 games because something has gone seriously wrong.

South Florida - L
For some reason, this game has a "we can win this" feel to me. Playing in Soldier Field could be an advantage. If it were at Memorial Stadium, I'd like our chances even more. This will be a real "how does the team look" game. Might want to come back to our predictions after week 3

Penn State - L
We lose this game no matter what. Just too big of a talent discrepancy for "home field advantage" to make up for.

Rutgers - W
This is the game that will set the standard for how I think we'll compete against the rest of the "bottom" teams on the road. If we lose this game, I don't think we win against Maryland or Nebraska (as you'll see, I don't think we do anyway).

Purdue - W
I think we win this game purely because it's at home and it's homecoming. If it's on the road, it's a toss up. If Illinois manages to be 4-1 by this point (or somehow 5-0 ), I think this place will be rocking and we may blow 'em out. Regardless, I think this is a winnable game, and it's at home, and it's a hyped up weekend.

Wisconsin - L
*See Penn State above*

Maryland - L
This is a very winnable game, and if it were a home game, I'd say it's a win. There is so much turmoil right now with Maryland, it's hard to gauge if they have enough talent or coaching to really "be in it" at this point in the season. I'm throwing this down as a pessimistic loss, but would not be shocked to see the Illini pull out a victory.

Minnesota - L
I'm not sure why, but I hate Minnesota very, very much. I want to beat them SOOOOOO badly this year... but I know Fleck and his stupid canoeing team will beat us again... BUT.... this is on our turf, and we could be fighting for a bowl game right now. Plus, their QB may be a bust (I haven't heard that he would be, in fact... the opposite ). This is another "winnable" game, but I think it'll depend on the way we've played up to this point, how the stadium feels, general attitude, etc...

Nebraska - L
Another "if this were a game game..." type discussion.

Iowa - L
While I won't put this in the "we will definitely lose this game" category, I don't think there's enough convincing me that we can win this game. I'm just hopeful that we already have 6 wins at this point (hahahahaha) and I can be at this game without leaving pissed off.

Northwestern - L
I never thought I'd say this, but there's no way we win this game. Better team, at their place, last game of the regular season... Whatever our win total is going into this game, it will remain that way.

So there you have it. I think 2 guaranteed wins, 3 guaranteed losses (4, if you count Iowa). If we win 4, I'm happy (shows progress), if we win 5 that's awesome! 6 or bowl game I'm ready to erect a Lovie statue.

If we win 8 games? I might light my car on fire.

 

[Fighter of the Nightman]

Not even remotely true

+1000

While it might not be true, your dismissive attitude is either indicative of you guys leaving Champaign more than 5 years ago or being to harsh on "your own" so as not to look like a homer. Champaign is a small, Midwestern college-town-first; at that, it stacks up against almost any of them just fine. It is what it is, but it's great at it.

 

[Illini_1979]

If we win 8 games? I might light my car on fire.

What kinda car?

 

[Desert Illini]

If we win 8 games? I might light my car on fire.

What kinda car?

Mostly likely a Firebird, certainly not a Fuego.

 

[JDHalfrack]

What kinda car?

You got me. It's a Pontiac Vibe.... and it's already caught on fire once before.

 

[Greensboro]

4 - 8 (win over Kent State, Western Illinois, Rutgers, Purdue)
I don't think we are there yet on Offensive line, young and little depth...that makes it tough on QB, RB, & WR. We were getting beat by 20 with teams turning it off in the second half...4 wins and being more competitive is a huge step forward.