Sure. But that's going to be the case on both sides.
Pregame: Illinois at Indiana, Saturday, September 20th, 6:30pm CT, NBC
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Battle89
- Cary-Grove, the better Trojan team
And for overall graphics / readability, wouldn't it have made more sense to put "IU RADIO NETWORK" all on one line? INDINIA indeed.
Might be the game of the week in all of CFB. There's only two other contests involving two ranked teams, and neither of the others has a team in the top ten.
Yeah Duke isn’t great. However, ODU and Indiana ended closer. In the end, both these teams (IL and IN) seem very similar based on the data that we have to date.
hooraybeer
- Peoria, IL
any official word on Xavier Scott? need to be at full strength this weekend
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
Welcome, Hoojin friend!
And, well, lol. Apparently you're unfamiliar with the term "statistically insignificant difference."
We beat Duke by 26 points on their home turf. You beat ODU by 13 in Bloomington, and seven pts of that margin were via a 91-yeard punt return.
You're favored by 4.5 at home. You're obviously gonna win!
I know: math is hard.
eh. Metrics this early in the season can be particularly finnicky. I also doubt metrics will take into account how little any of the VT players seemed to want to play for Brent Pry this past weekend. I still think traveling to Duke and winning will help us prepare for IU.
They've upgraded.
Mendoza is a far more talented QB than Rourke was.
The RB Hemby is a lot more explosive. Lee Beebe was a good add out for the year. They have a couple of returning RBs I like.
WR group is pretty much the same group a year older and minus a few slot guys.
OL they added Notre Dames C Pat Coogan and Colorados RT Benson. And got their LG back who got hurt early on last year.
Defensively they replaced their starting DTs with 2 All Conference USA guys. Still unclear how good those guys are yet.
Edge guys they added a DE from Maryland and DE from Toledo. Both guys seem like good rushers.
LBs are pretty much the same unit, older.
CBs are the same starters. Added a guy from Pitt and a guy from NC State as depth.
FS is new. Louis Moore came from Ole Miss who is playing with temporary eligibility, but thank goodness that he's clear for this game. And the other S is a returning starter.
P is new. And he's better than the guy last year.
altgeld88
- Arlington, Virginia
That's right on brand for them:It will help a lot that IU isn’t showing up until Sunday.
Wait, is this a real take?
Rourke was an experienced college Quarterback without the NFL upside. That does not make him a worse quarterback in college football than Mendoza who is more NFL upside than current college domination. (There was a non-world beater QB who did darn well at OSU as an old game manager , for reference).
This is also his 4th game in a new system and the first P4 matchup in that system. Alot of benefits to multiple years and 4 or 5th year in college at that position (all positions but especially QB).
1st year transfer QBs typically do not have their best season. Exceptions exist, but even Joe Burrow did not set the world on fire in 2018. 2019? Different story.
If you are basing your team's ascension from last year to this based on a guy who projects better at the next level? Might temper those expectations a bit. Darian Mensah is a similar comp as a guy who I think could explode NEXT year if he stays a year longer in system.
Wait . . . how does this make any sense?
When did this fanbase become so feeble? We have what it takes to beat IU. Based on what I am reading on here we are playing the 85 Bears, it's crazy.
Let’s be real: Cignetti screams fragile ego. The guy runs up scores on nobodies just so he can puff his chest out and call himself a winner. He’s obsessed with the spotlight, and it burns him up that Illinois has the bigger stage. This game is his personal Super Bowl, and you can bet he’ll be throwing the kitchen sink at us—going for it on 4th in dumb spots, making desperate calls just to prove he’s “the guy.”
But here’s the fun part: Coach Bielema knows how to get under a coach’s skin. He already made Beamer crack, and if he rattles Cignetti the same way, expect some glorious meltdowns. A couple boneheaded mistakes later, and Illinois walks away smiling while Cignetti sulks in the shadows.
Illinois may very well lose this game, but I'd take Coach B over Coach Google Me any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
But here’s the fun part: Coach Bielema knows how to get under a coach’s skin. He already made Beamer crack, and if he rattles Cignetti the same way, expect some glorious meltdowns. A couple boneheaded mistakes later, and Illinois walks away smiling while Cignetti sulks in the shadows.
Illinois may very well lose this game, but I'd take Coach B over Coach Google Me any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Duke is a lot better than ODU and it was on the road lol anyone who thinks those are similar games aren't living in the real world
Just looked on ESPN ap and the line there has now shifted to -3.5 and Illinois moneyline of +160.
OrangeBlue98
Iowa is not in a great spot right now (LvilleILL1)
- Des Moines, IA
Given home-field is generally a three-point edge, the line is pretty close to a pick-em. I feel that's very reasonable. These are two very good teams, and I don't really see either one having a significant edge. IU has run through their opponents, while Illinois has the bigger win (on the road at Duke) while winning all three games handily and not really playing all that well for significant portions of games.
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This makes it sound like the guy has been a DC for 20+ years... I actually agree that he's a rising superstar DC (and possibly HC someday), but that bolded statement feels odd given he's been a DC for *checks notes* 2 seasons at James Madison and 2 at Indiana...
Indiana will obviously be a huge test for our guys. Underdog on the road against a ranked opponent is never easy. Indiana is well coached and hasn't lost many games in the last 12+ months.
I like our chances to rise up to the challenge and that will be the key here. We all agree we'll have to play better than we did over the last two games to win this.
Our O-Line hasn't been great, so hopefully that improves and our DL has not been as good at getting pressure as we hoped. I think it will boil down to who's QB is under more pressure from the pass rush - if we win that battle and we'll win the game, IMO
I like our chances to rise up to the challenge and that will be the key here. We all agree we'll have to play better than we did over the last two games to win this.
Our O-Line hasn't been great, so hopefully that improves and our DL has not been as good at getting pressure as we hoped. I think it will boil down to who's QB is under more pressure from the pass rush - if we win that battle and we'll win the game, IMO
Success is hard. We're so deep into imposter syndrome it's not funny.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Needless to say, this will be a very interesting and enlightening game. Just looking at our own message boards, you see some fans rather confidently labeling Indiana as a Paper Tiger that our battle-tested Illini will handle, and you have others acting like Duke is now in shambles and our actually-untested Illini will simply not be able to handle the pack of elite athletes that is Indiana. 
I will admit that I really don't know what to expect. If we had this one at home, I would be fairly confident of a victory ... I didn't get to watch the WMU game due to my sister's wedding, but it sounds like it was another slow start. However, as others pointed out, it was another blowout win ... so my personal opinion is that whether or not you take it as a negative or positive impression overall will come down to your tendencies as a fan, haha.
Bottom line? I think everyone can agree we will learn a ton about both teams on Saturday. I'm nervous anxious not because I am waiting for the other shoe to drop like in past years under incompetent regimes ... rather, I have butterflies thinking about how I could feel about a 4-0 Illini team that just won a top 20 road game and erased one of the most often-predicted losses on our schedule. A loss here is not the end of the world ... but I think it would be a massive hit to our current level of optimism, as you just put a lot of pressure on yourself for USC, OSU, Washington, etc. games.
I will admit that I really don't know what to expect. If we had this one at home, I would be fairly confident of a victory ... I didn't get to watch the WMU game due to my sister's wedding, but it sounds like it was another slow start. However, as others pointed out, it was another blowout win ... so my personal opinion is that whether or not you take it as a negative or positive impression overall will come down to your tendencies as a fan, haha.
Bottom line? I think everyone can agree we will learn a ton about both teams on Saturday. I'm nervous anxious not because I am waiting for the other shoe to drop like in past years under incompetent regimes ... rather, I have butterflies thinking about how I could feel about a 4-0 Illini team that just won a top 20 road game and erased one of the most often-predicted losses on our schedule. A loss here is not the end of the world ... but I think it would be a massive hit to our current level of optimism, as you just put a lot of pressure on yourself for USC, OSU, Washington, etc. games.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
This one won't be easy, but if we play mistake free ball, we will at the least be right there in the 4th quarter & more likely just win the game. There are so few examples of Bret not having his team in the game in his IL tenure. VA in year 1 & OR last year are the ones that really stick out. Even at Penn State last year, we were clearly inferior talent wise but yet at the start of the 4th quarter still sat right there with a solid chance to win.
If you are gonna beat IL you are gonna have to beat em, they won't just gift wrap it for you with dumb mistakes.
If you are gonna beat IL you are gonna have to beat em, they won't just gift wrap it for you with dumb mistakes.
Good lordie.
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