This is my new favorite scenario. Talk about a power couple.You know who honestly would be a very plausible Fickell DC here? Chris Ash. The two won a national title together as Co-DC's.
This is my new favorite scenario. Talk about a power couple.You know who honestly would be a very plausible Fickell DC here? Chris Ash. The two won a national title together as Co-DC's.
Do they understand the challenges of a school that won't bend on academics? Who, of all the coaches mentioned, has had success at possibly the most challenging Division I school, has ties to Illinois, and isn't afraid of a school where people will say you can't win? I can think of only one.
I think a big question to ask yourselves: who really wants this job? Is it a stepping stone or a destination? Do you think these coaches will stay at Illinois for their contract or will they bail for a better "football" school?
Cincinnati plays a weaker schedule year over year maybe we need to move to a different conference so are chances are greater for a win...Beckmen was winning at Toledo when he came here.
Without getting into a debate about moral obligations, I can tell you this: winning holds more weight with recruits than character building under Lovie Smith. And right now we aren't doing much winningYes it is for now...your trying to compare apples and oranges. Most jobs dont have a message board and constant scrutiny by outsiders like you and I. Also in most jobs your not dealing with students where part of your performance is based on them becoming better contributors to our society as well as student athletes. So yes I think back to previous coaches like Zook who we ran out of town. Beckmen who truly needed to be fired. Cubit who was given no real commitment by the university or the fan base. What story has that painted for recruits and their parents? Its ugly and its plastered all over these boards and in the media. So then were going to hire another coach and tell the kids dont worry everyone is committed...give me a break.
I think a couple other concerns here that would need to be considered:This is purely my personal opinion but I believe this is the conundrum Josh has on his hands. If Lovie sits down and makes a convincing argument that this roster, with another year of offseason work and the addition of Luke Ford and Marquez Beason, can finally be the team for which the “this is the year” moniker rings true, does he buy that explanation enough to do just that..,give it one more year? I don’t think it’s out of the question that he would.
Please note, I’m not suggesting this is what Josh SHOULD do. I’m merely talking through the scenarios of what I believe he COULD do. Don’t come beat me up for saying Lovie should be safe. That’s not the conversation.
I think a couple other concerns here that would need to be considered:
1)Next year's recruiting class (2021) >> this years (2020 coming) in terms of numbers & thus importance - I think there is a good argument to take our recruiting lumps this coming year vs. 2021 when we will need a full class
2) Next year's team should be better than this years, it would be nice to give the next coach a decent chance in year 1... I'm really scared for the year after all the current JRs graduate
...Keeping Lovie this year just seems like doubling down at this point, I still think Whitman is too smart for this, and as an example he made a move to hire Lovie day one at what seemed like an impossible time to hire a coach & although I think you could argue in hindsight Groce could/should have went a year earlier, he did make that decision at the risk & eventual outcome of losing what was likely to be Groce's best recruiting classes & was able to snag Underwood the following year...so I have a hard time pretending I know enough of the behind the scenes to call question to that timing.
The only scenario is beating Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. Would 5-7 with 3 BIGs do it? My guess is the JW keep Lovie around under that scenario, and frankly I'm not sure I could argue with that. Now how likely is that scenario to happen? @Purdue looks to be a big test. Should we win that one, we ought to beat Rutgers, and then we have to wait until the end of the season.
The 5-7 scenario this year, followed by a better result next year would give us some positive momentum.
I think a likely scenario is the "nightmare scenario." We find enough to beat a banged up Purdue and then Rutgers, so we hold out hope until NW, and we are let down. JW is looking at an uninspiring 4-8. At that point I think he is considering all alternatives.
If we lose at Purdue, I think Lovie must be done.
As someone correctly pointed out earlier, this scenario is pure fool's gold.The only scenario is beating Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. Would 5-7 with 3 BIGs do it? My guess is the JW keep Lovie around under that scenario, and frankly I'm not sure I could argue with that. Now how likely is that scenario to happen? @Purdue looks to be a big test. Should we win that one, we ought to beat Rutgers, and then we have to wait until the end of the season.
The 5-7 scenario this year, followed by a better result next year would give us some positive momentum.
I think a likely scenario is the "nightmare scenario." We find enough to beat a banged up Purdue and then Rutgers, so we hold out hope until NW, and we are let down. JW is looking at an uninspiring 4-8. At that point I think he is considering all alternatives.
If we lose at Purdue, I think Lovie must be done.
The only scenario is beating Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. Would 5-7 with 3 BIGs do it? My guess is the JW keep Lovie around under that scenario, and frankly I'm not sure I could argue with that. Now how likely is that scenario to happen? @Purdue looks to be a big test. Should we win that one, we ought to beat Rutgers, and then we have to wait until the end of the season.
The 5-7 scenario this year, followed by a better result next year would give us some positive momentum.
So, being Illinois, it shall come to pass.As someone correctly pointed out earlier, this scenario is pure fool's gold.
The only scenario is beating Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. Would 5-7 with 3 BIGs do it?
I'm digging no hole at all it's an opinion. Just so know I get right now strength of schedule is weaker let's look at it by the end of the year and if you think that Cincinnati has a tougher schedule than we do year over year your mistaken. My point is that if we were in a weaker league our chance for a better win percentage would grow so maybe we need to do that. That's it no hole, just an opinion.Every time you make a post you are digging yourself in a deeper hole.. so many bad takes.
The staff we have is not working and will not work. If they stay for another year recruiting will fall off, ticket sales will go down even more, and we will continue to sink as a program. No coach in their right mind is going to look at Lovie's horrendous record over 4 years and think "Wow they really didn't give him a chance, so I don't want this job."
To be a literal legend here, all a coach has to do is be average. Just average. 5 to 7 wins a year with competitive football and sprinkle in an 8 or 9 win season every now and then and there will literally be a statue built. New facilities, B10 conference, recruiting proximity, and a $$$ salary are very convincing to most coaches looking for their next move.
Dino Babers wanted this job. We can get someone similar this time around.
There is literal proof in this thread that new coaches almost always improve recruiting as well. And you bring up a weak schedule for Cincy... take a nice hard look at this link: https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/ranking/schedule-strength-by-other
Illini- 109
Cincy- 12
There is NO excuse for this team to be 2-3 right now. None.
Um, did you purposely leave out 75% of our schedule to prove your point? Cause it didnt work, it might have if I would have said non-conference.
Cincinnati plays a weaker schedule year over year maybe we need to move to a different conference so are chances are greater for a win...Beckmen was winning at Toledo when he came here.
If i were JW i would tell Lovie fire your son and hire a DC to run the defense that is the only way he would get another year, that may also force him out with out actually firing him
You could make the case Cincy has a more difficult schedule than we do this year. They're in the weaker half of the AAC, but even still.
Let's go from strongest game to weakest, using the F/+ rankings
#2 Ohio State > #6 Wisconsin
#14 UCF > #16 Iowa
#24 Memphis < #17 Michigan State
#51 Temple < #22 Michigan
#61 Houston < #26 Minnesota
#63 Tulsa < #55 Nebraska
#74 UCLA < #65 Northwestern
#97 USF < #73 Purdue
#103 Marshall > #105 Eastern Michigan
#108 Miami (OH) > #113 Rutgers
#114 East Carolina > #126 Akron
#127 UConn = #127 UConn
So it's 6-5-1 in our favor, though in fairness the biggest gaps are in our favor, we play more genuinely good teams that they do, even though their top 2 games and their cupcakes are stronger.
If i were JW i would tell Lovie fire your son and hire a DC to run the defense that is the only way he would get another year, that may also force him out with out actually firing him
In our history - only Mackovic left for a better job (Texas).
Watching NC State v Syracuse. Doeren ready to come back to the B1G?