Illini Football 2017

#501      

ballislife17

ballislife17
ballislife17
Illwinsagain said:
6-6 and a bowl game. To win 2,3 or 4 and beat OSU would mean that there would be some BAD losses too.
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I just remembered someone saying Luke Ford will only come here if we make a bowl game, if that is the case, I change my answer to 6-6.

If not, I'll still take the OSU win. As a team who will be in the CFP, a win against them will garner 1000x more positive attention than beating some average big ten teams and barely making a bowl game.

Also, the 2-4 wins is a pretty big range. I would definitely do that trade for 4 wins but probably for 2....


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#502      

BigStan97

B
Cincinnati OH
BigStan97
6 wins and a bowl is way more important long term.

Bowl game team label
More practices
Prospects to attend bowl game practices
Young team having more allotted time with coaches
Big public step to moving the trend upwards.
Team development
Media/public image beginning to change
Recruiting pitch young team who is in a bowl.


I would gladly take all of that over:

Hey we won 3 games BUT one of them was against OSU.
 
#503      

IllinoisFanAtFSU

I
IllinoisFanAtFSU
Can I take option C? Winning 5 games, with one of them being over OSU, and getting backdoored into a bowl game :thumb:

We aren't beating OSU though. I do think we will snag an unexpected one or more out of USF, Nebraska, Northwestern, Minnesota though.
 
#504      

mhuml32

mhuml32
Cincinnati, OH
mhuml32
IlliniJim20 said:
Bowl game means much more for the direction of the program.

As someone stated, 6-6 and a bowl game just might get Lovie coach of the year, which will, should, result in positive recruiting momentum.

Perhaps a better question is if we will only win 3,4 games which one game do you want to win?

I'd take NU being a Chicago resident.
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I'd rather a win or two come at the end of the season, which could allow for some positive momentum going into the offseason and an easier sell to recruits about the program turning around.
 
#505      

FC Illiniman

F
FC Illiniman
Illwinsagain said:
6-6 and a bowl game. To win 2,3 or 4 and beat OSU would mean that there would be some BAD losses too.
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This is a task to make reality, but a reachable goal. If we are less than .500, I'm pretty sure Lovie will be disappointed. Do I think we make .500, not sure, but if these kids believe that they can win, they will. Defense is going to have take alot of load, make turnover, and score. Offense just needs to not hurt themselves. If those 2 things happen, we will be where we need to be. ;):illinois:
 
#506      

Dan

Dan
Admin
Dan
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#507      

Joel Goodson

Joel Goodson
respect my decision™
Joel Goodson
FC Illiniman said:
This is a task to make reality, but a reachable goal. If we are less than .500, I'm pretty sure Lovie will be disappointed. Do I think we make .500, not sure, but if these kids believe that they can win, they will. Defense is going to have take alot of load, make turnover, and score. Offense just needs to not hurt themselves. If those 2 things happen, we will be where we need to be. ;):illinois:
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Believe it or not, belief is a tertiary factor. Talent, experience and depth dwarf belief. We will have to thread the needle to go 6-6. That said, I firmly believe that our football program is headed in the right direction.
 
#508      

james81

J
North Carolina
james81
Joel Goodson said:
Believe it or not, belief is a tertiary factor. Talent, experience and depth dwarf belief. We will have to thread the needle to go 6-6. That said, I firmly believe that our football program is headed in the right direction.
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Great observation. It's a challenge knowing we are going to struggle this year, but the attitude of our players is encouraging. The media and most fans have low expectations which is probably a good thing. Normally, I hate watching games where we are being outplayed, but this year is somewhat different. I'm interested not only in the score, but watching our players develop over the course of the season.
 
#510      

dgcrow

dgcrow
Kelso, WA
dgcrow
jrichisamazing said:
Question for y'all. Would you rather....

Go 6-6 and make a bowl game? We all agree this would be a good accomplishment.

Or only win 2, 3, maybe 4 games but one of those wins is @Ohio St?

I think it's a good debate. IMO either scenario would make me excited for the future.
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6 wins and a bowl game, definitely. Better for the overall development of the program.
 
#511      

BZuppke

BZuppke
Plainfield
BZuppke
What makes college football fun is that there are always surprises. There will be teams that are expected to be good who will struggle and those who significantly exceed expectations. There will be early and late season upsets. I think we make a bowl game this year one way or another. It will be fun.
 
#512      

GForce

GForce
GForce
Man, we have so many freshmen who are going to play or start, it's hard to predict much beyond 4 wins. But we do have some wild cards that if the stars align we could get to 6. Like if Dudek comes back with an All-Big/American type season, or if Crouch shows he's perfect for this offense while improving his accuracy. Or if one of our freshman, like Smalling or Epstein, really breaks out. A lot of ifs. The problem is our O and D lines. So much technique, experience and body transformation are needed that relying on young guys is a big detriment.
 
#513      

james81

J
North Carolina
james81
GForce said:
Man, we have so many freshmen who are going to play or start, it's hard to predict much beyond 4 wins. But we do have some wild cards that if the stars align we could get to 6. Like if Dudek comes back with an All-Big/American type season, or if Crouch shows he's perfect for this offense while improving his accuracy. Or if one of our freshman, like Smalling or Epstein, really breaks out. A lot of ifs. The problem is our O and D lines. So much technique, experience and body transformation are needed that relying on young guys is a big detriment.
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One thing that Doug Buchson from Rivals said today in a Herald & Review Podcast interview with Mark Tupper is how good the freshmen look. His broader point was that the Illini staff know how to evaluate players--Lovie has a clear idea of what attributes he's looking for and it's showing up in these freshmen. The coaches are not surprised by how well they are doing.
 
#514      

ILL_INI

ILL_INI
ILL_INI
james81 said:
One thing that Doug Buchson from Rivals said today in a Herald & Review Podcast interview with Mark Tupper is how good the freshmen look. His broader point was that the Illini staff know how to evaluate players--Lovie has a clear idea of what attributes he's looking for and it's showing up in these freshmen. The coaches are not surprised by how well they are doing.
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Thanks for sharing. It made me feel like things are looking up for the program. It was nice to hear the comments how the freshmen look more like athletes and football players than what they have had the last few years.

Tupper said Larry Boyd was 360 when he arrived, but is something like 250 now (this is around the 4:40 mark). That can't possibly be right, can it? 110 pounds lighter???
 
#515      

FiveStar

F
FiveStar
ILL_INI said:
Thanks for sharing. It made me feel like things are looking up for the program. It was nice to hear the comments how the freshmen look more like athletes and football players than what they have had the last few years.

Tupper said Larry Boyd was 360 when he arrived, but is something like 250 now (this is around the 4:40 mark). That can't possibly be right, can it? 110 pounds lighter???
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Yeah it definitely sounds like 250. Doesn't seem like it would be possible to drop that much weight and still be strong/healthy. The guy did also seem like maybe he was just picking a number out of the air. Maybe he's saying the way Boyd holds 300+ lbs looks more like 250 on his frame?
 
#516      

illini2002

I
illini2002
I was reading ESPN and an article about Michigan came up, I thought it would be interesting to share. Apparently Michigan is a VERY young team as well.

Read The Article

"We know it's important to fill the holes and play well because that's why we came here, to win championships," Hudson said.

And being this young and inexperienced won't be an excuse. That's been proved by the last three College Football Playoff national champions. Clemson, Alabama and Ohio State each had at least 22 true and redshirt freshmen who saw game action in their respective championship seasons.

Harbaugh has embraced the challenge that lies ahead. He hasn't looked at the youth as an excuse that lowers expectations, but rather as an opportunity for his players, the prospects he recruited, to get Michigan to the Big Ten title game and beyond.

"Really excited about it, because historically I have learned that the biggest jump you can make as a player in college, biggest single year, is going from that freshman year to that sophomore year," Harbaugh said. "Those 12 months that you have to train yourself, but also now everything they do from this moment on, the rest of this entire year, they've already done before. I don't have a study to show you, but experience has taught me that that's when you can make your biggest improvement in one year as a football player."
 
#517      

lexwaldez

lexwaldez
lexwaldez
james81 said:
Great observation. It's a challenge knowing we are going to struggle this year, but the attitude of our players is encouraging. The media and most fans have low expectations which is probably a good thing. Normally, I hate watching games where we are being outplayed, but this year is somewhat different. I'm interested not only in the score, but watching our players develop over the course of the season.
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This this this. They're going to play their hearts out, and we need to support them this year thru thick and thin. It's going to pay off in the long run. The staff is doing all the right things and if the kids play to the best of their ability we can't really ask for more this year. Get in the stands and give them standing O's when the game is over.
 
#518      

IllinoisFanAtFSU

I
IllinoisFanAtFSU
lexwaldez said:
This this this. They're going to play their hearts out, and we need to support them this year thru thick and thin. It's going to pay off in the long run. The staff is doing all the right things and if the kids play to the best of their ability we can't really ask for more this year. Get in the stands and give them standing O's when the game is over.
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100% this. I'm expecting 2006-esque scorelines, but with 2-4 more tilting our way. This team will, like that 2006 team, put the "fight" back in Fighting Illini. Can't wait to see it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_football_team
 
#519      

Illiini

Illiini
In the land of the Nittany Lion
Illiini
I've been reading everything from "these guys couldn't beat Miss Peach's kindergarten class" to, well, not that they're going to beat Alabama this year but that we go bowling this year. Although the optimists seem to be a lot more guarded than the Negative Nellies, who are cocksure about the inevitability of their prognostications.

I dunno. I think we have no idea of how these guys are going to work out. But I guess, what fun would this forum be if everyone agreed? I'm just eager for the season to start so we can see just what Lovie hath wrought so far.
 
#522      

LFOD

LFOD
LFOD
After reading these two latest (excellent) articles, I'm sticking with my 3-4 win prediction for this season, with a bowl game next year. So many freshmen on the field will make it hard to sustain long drives.
 
#523      

IlliniJim20

I
IlliniJim20
BigStan97 said:
6 wins and a bowl is way more important long term.

Bowl game team label
More practices
Prospects to attend bowl game practices
Young team having more allotted time with coaches
Big public step to moving the trend upwards.
Team development
Media/public image beginning to change
Recruiting pitch young team who is in a bowl.


I would gladly take all of that over:

Hey we won 3 games BUT one of them was against OSU.
Click to expand...

Thanks Stan, these details are what I was alluding to for the program., stated much better than I.

Definitely will take 6-6 and Bowl Game over just a W over OSU. Now if it was just a W over Michigan I MIGHT change my mind ;):D
 
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#524      

Illiini

Illiini
In the land of the Nittany Lion
Illiini
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All that's fine, but no, hook up your Orange Koolaid IV in your right arm and Blue Koolaid in your left and see how the Fighting Illini go 10-0 in 2017. It could happen. :popcorn:
 
#525      

SescIllini

SescIllini
SescIllini
Glad to hear the freshmen talent level isn't all hype.Need to land stud qb soon. Lovie did well with the bears with average qb but we are not near average at that position.