Beat Rutgers and sneak in another win is that enough with all the losses being close? That is the question, we are just good enough to make this decision harder than it should be. I Don't think he comes back with less than 5 wins, attendance next year will be even worse than what it already is.
2019-20 Coaching Discussion/Carousel
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Ticket sales really do little to affect the DIA revenue. Total ticket sales (all sports) are only 11% of the total DIA revenue. Only four BIG schools generate over $30m in ticket sales (AnOSU, Mich, PSU and Neb). All of the others are under $30mil. Illinois is close to $10 mil. (2018 stats). The DIA revenues are 74% from outside distributions (TV, BIG and NCAA 51% and contributions 23%). Scary what will happen to most BIG schools if TV revenues dry up.
I'll be honest: I didn't realize it was that low of a percentage, but the implications it can have on recruiting (watching a game in a dead stadium or seeing it on TV) are scary, along with the effects it can (and has) had on donations to the athletic department.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Tickets 11%, Contributions 23%, TV money 51%. Thus lies the balance of power.
Iowa reported over $25 mil from ticket sales in FY 2018, Wisconsin reported over $31 mil from ticket sales for 2017-2018. I wouldn't call the difference in ticket sales between Illinois and either of those schools "little." Even if Illinois could increase ticket sales by "only" $10 mil, that would be pretty significant. I understand you were stating with respect to losing even more ticket sales, but my point is that it shouldn't really be as low a percentage as it is.
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And if we want to dream of the upper stratosphere AnOSU had roughly $60 mil ticket sales for 2018.
Mark Richt?
100k seat stadium vs. 60k.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Supposedly uninterested in returning to college coaching. Genuinely seemed like a man coming to clarity that this isn't what he's interested in doing anymore at Miami.
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I haven’t followed Washington State (other than their recent QB seems to be doing well in the NFL) but Mike Leach coaching like he did at Texas Tech would at least be entertaining to watch and would fill the stadium.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Powerful "I go to bed before Pac 12 games start" energy.
Deleted member 654622
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Just want to hit on two
Aaron Moorehead was once a great recruiter for Texas A&M I believe
Mike Bellamy BETTER be retained. He is working
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What is better for the program long term?
Lovie somehow goes 6-6 this season and we make a bowl game. He is retained and little to no changes are made to the current staff.
OR
Lovie goes 4-8 and we are able to hire our Option A guy. (Think Mike Norvell or Luke Fickell esque).
Lovie somehow goes 6-6 this season and we make a bowl game. He is retained and little to no changes are made to the current staff.
OR
Lovie goes 4-8 and we are able to hire our Option A guy. (Think Mike Norvell or Luke Fickell esque).
Seth Littrell, Graham Harrell, Josh Heupel, Jake Spavital, Jay Norvell, Sonny Cumbie, Robert Anae are some names that would match that profile.
Illinifan533
- Normal, Illinois
If the Illini somehow go 6-6, that probably means some necessary adjustments were made and that Lovie actually has the team on an upward trend. I don't see it as the same death knell for the program like the 2014 Illini going 6-6 was.
While I still think Graham is a little green....I think he is most similar to Leach in what kind of players he is looking for and how to teach the offense.
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I am in the boat that it is always better/cheaper to keep your current employees and make them better. If we go 6-6, then some serious coaching has been done. I'll even say if we go 5-7 at this point.
For me, I want to see what the defensive line looks like at the end of the season. If we go 5-7+ despite our defense, then I think we need to go with Option A guy. I say that with a heavy heart because I see the young talent that could be the anchor to a B1G team title contender in two years (remember I am talking D line). Lovie's base D that he lives on is only going to work with a dominate D line and solid LB core.
St. Louis Rams - Brian Young, Grant Winstrom and London Fletcher
Tampa Bay - Warren freeking Sapp, Brooks and yes Hardy Nickerson
Bears - Tommie Harris AO Urlacher and Briggs
Losing Bobby is for sure a terrible hit. The dude was on his way to getting drafted. It's the Carneys and Gays that have me worried about this staffs ability to develop the young talent on the roster. If they can, then this D will look good eventually. If they cant, then we are going to waste that potential.
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
Give me option A. 6 wins means 4 B1G wins, which would be incredible. With everyone coming back the next year, it would be easy to dream of a 8-win season.
Give me Graham Harrell no matter what haha
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
As between those two choices I think there's little doubt the latter one is the stronger long-term option. But guaranteeing a home-run hire changes the calculus a lot.
This talk about keeping Lovie if he reaches X wins is what I argued against before the season began. If a defender on Nebraska and EMU slipped and fell, Illinois could be 4-0, without any change by the coaches. Illinois could get blown out by Wisconsin, Iowa and the Michigan's, yet still get 4 more wins against Minnesota, Rutgers, Purdue and Northwestern. That's fool's gold. Purdue, Minnesota and Northwestern are down this year, as is Nebraska, but that won't be for long. Lovie has one of the easiest schedules any Illinois coach has possibly ever had, plenty of time to bring in his players and coaches, and yet it still looks like a struggle to be literally average. If the team is not blown out in any games and wins some of these others, then that will demonstrate improvement.
Deleted member 4333
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As an incentive for Lovie to retire, Josh will agree to promote Miles to head coach.
SampsonRelpenk
- Edwardsville, IL
Sorry, I should have clarified at the beginning of my post: this list of coaches is for a hypothetical new head coach's staff.
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