Illini Football 2021

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#252      
Based upon so many expectations for BB, anything less than 9 wins is a fail on his part. Lovie would have won 6 or 7 with a spring and summer plus a non-conference schedule last season. So, since he was so poor and BB is so great, it is 9 wins or bust. I don't even like Lovie because of his offensive philosophy of always trying to pound the football on the ground. But, BB is inheriting guys a year older, a year mote experienced, a year stronger, that everyone was sure should win 6 or 7 games this past season. BB has most of those guys back so, based on everyone's BB belief, 9 wins should be the minimum! I will also say that based upon BB's past offensive philosophy, I would be in the transfer portal if I was a wr. But, maybe he did learn something in the NFL.
 
#253      

Deleted member 747784

D
Guest
Based upon so many expectations for BB, anything less than 9 wins is a fail on his part. Lovie would have won 6 or 7 with a spring and summer plus a non-conference schedule last season. So, since he was so poor and BB is so great, it is 9 wins or bust. I don't even like Lovie because of his offensive philosophy of always trying to pound the football on the ground. But, BB is inheriting guys a year older, a year mote experienced, a year stronger, that everyone was sure should win 6 or 7 games this past season. BB has most of those guys back so, based on everyone's BB belief, 9 wins should be the minimum! I will also say that based upon BB's past offensive philosophy, I would be in the transfer portal if I was a wr. But, maybe he did learn something in the NFL.
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#254      

Deleted member 654622

D
Guest
Based upon so many expectations for BB, anything less than 9 wins is a fail on his part. Lovie would have won 6 or 7 with a spring and summer plus a non-conference schedule last season. So, since he was so poor and BB is so great, it is 9 wins or bust. I don't even like Lovie because of his offensive philosophy of always trying to pound the football on the ground. But, BB is inheriting guys a year older, a year mote experienced, a year stronger, that everyone was sure should win 6 or 7 games this past season. BB has most of those guys back so, based on everyone's BB belief, 9 wins should be the minimum! I will also say that based upon BB's past offensive philosophy, I would be in the transfer portal if I was a wr. But, maybe he did learn something in the NFL.
The question about how many wins intrigued me. I will say we all suspected this roster to win a lot more based off the senior talent. I think it is a big plus we are getting a lot of these guys back. I think that should be tempered however depending on the number of returning seniors within the conference. If Minnesota is getting the same value as we are back, did we get an advantage? I guess that will depend on the new coaching staff.
So the current schedule is:
Dublin - Nebraska
UTSA
@Virginia
Maryland
@Purdue
Charlotte
Bye
@PedU
Wisc (insert eyeball emojis)
Rutgers
@Fighting Flecks
Bye
@Iowa
North Dorks

Lock Wins - UTSA, Charlotte
Should Win - Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers
Toss Ups - Nebraska (I know the struggles but Frost's recruiting classes will be old now), Wisconsin (hammered us, but didn't look good the rest of the season and I feel as if our players are going to fight for BB) Flecks and Dorks (getting both of them near the end of the year is better for us settling into a new staff with new schemes) Virginia (they started bad last year. Let's hope they start bad again)
Prob Not - F Iowa and PedU

Disclaimer: I am working under the assumption that we will have a very good coaching staff that will raiser the level of our players or at the very least have a good game plan together. IF that is the case.....I can see 7 or 8 wins. 10 if somehow the offense is as good as we have seen them at their best and IF we take a HUGE LEAP on the defense. We will probably need to land those big fish on the transfer portal we are fishing for
 
#255      
The question about how many wins intrigued me. I will say we all suspected this roster to win a lot more based off the senior talent. I think it is a big plus we are getting a lot of these guys back. I think that should be tempered however depending on the number of returning seniors within the conference. If Minnesota is getting the same value as we are back, did we get an advantage? I guess that will depend on the new coaching staff.
So the current schedule is:
Dublin - Nebraska
UTSA
@Virginia
Maryland
@Purdue
Charlotte
Bye
@PedU
Wisc (insert eyeball emojis)
Rutgers
@Fighting Flecks
Bye
@Iowa
North Dorks

Lock Wins - UTSA, Charlotte
Should Win - Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers
Toss Ups - Nebraska (I know the struggles but Frost's recruiting classes will be old now), Wisconsin (hammered us, but didn't look good the rest of the season and I feel as if our players are going to fight for BB) Flecks and Dorks (getting both of them near the end of the year is better for us settling into a new staff with new schemes) Virginia (they started bad last year. Let's hope they start bad again)
Prob Not - F Iowa and PedU

Disclaimer: I am working under the assumption that we will have a very good coaching staff that will raiser the level of our players or at the very least have a good game plan together. IF that is the case.....I can see 7 or 8 wins. 10 if somehow the offense is as good as we have seen them at their best and IF we take a HUGE LEAP on the defense. We will probably need to land those big fish on the transfer portal we are fishing for
I think you have to keep in mind that we have huge depth concerns at key positions and new schemes that our players were not recruited to and have never played in. Yes there are some reasons to be optimistic but I think like 6 wins is more realistic. Continuity is important and teams almost always take a step back with a new coach.
 
#257      

Deleted member 747784

D
Guest
was reminded we are to play in Dublin this year for our opener .
NFW does that game get played there this year and the sooner the league admits it and says as much the better .

push it to 2022. let’s be real
 
#258      

altenberger22

South Carolina
Based upon the 2021 schedule, 5-7 would be a productive first year. Pulling off an upset or two and landing at 6-6 earns us a Bowl game is BB's first year.

Then we need to avoid the 2-10 "cliff" in season #2, once everyone graduates. Let's get some SO/JR transfers from the SEC and PAC12!
 
#259      
Let us not forget that in our losses last season, our defense was absolutely shredded. That by itself will not happen again, and thus enable more victories.
 
#261      
The question about how many wins intrigued me. I will say we all suspected this roster to win a lot more based off the senior talent. I think it is a big plus we are getting a lot of these guys back. I think that should be tempered however depending on the number of returning seniors within the conference. If Minnesota is getting the same value as we are back, did we get an advantage? I guess that will depend on the new coaching staff.
So the current schedule is:
Dublin - Nebraska
UTSA
@Virginia
Maryland
@Purdue
Charlotte
Bye
@PedU
Wisc (insert eyeball emojis)
Rutgers
@Fighting Flecks
Bye
@Iowa
North Dorks

Lock Wins - UTSA, Charlotte
Should Win - Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers
Toss Ups - Nebraska (I know the struggles but Frost's recruiting classes will be old now), Wisconsin (hammered us, but didn't look good the rest of the season and I feel as if our players are going to fight for BB) Flecks and Dorks (getting both of them near the end of the year is better for us settling into a new staff with new schemes) Virginia (they started bad last year. Let's hope they start bad again)
Prob Not - F Iowa and PedU

Disclaimer: I am working under the assumption that we will have a very good coaching staff that will raiser the level of our players or at the very least have a good game plan together. IF that is the case.....I can see 7 or 8 wins. 10 if somehow the offense is as good as we have seen them at their best and IF we take a HUGE LEAP on the defense. We will probably need to land those big fish on the transfer portal we are fishing for
I love our chances with Nebby. Frost is on the hot seat and they are really bad and we exploited them. We will be better and they might be better. I see 6-7 wins as I am not sold on Ped St. Not sold on Virginia either We should win the first 7 games with this schedule
 
#262      

redwingillini11

North Aurora
I am deathly afraid of that UTSA game. They won 7 games last year and played to within a touchdown against BYU and Louisiana. All of their losses were to bowl teams. That game will not be a lock.
How typical would it be that they peak the year when they play us?
 
#264      
Based upon the 2021 schedule, 5-7 would be a productive first year. Pulling off an upset or two and landing at 6-6 earns us a Bowl game is BB's first year.

Then we need to avoid the 2-10 "cliff" in season #2, once everyone graduates. Let's get some SO/JR transfers from the SEC and PAC12!
We get a new coach and now we (this board) are massively lowering our expectations. Incredible! I do agree with you in regards to season # 2. I just think that if BB is the great coach that so many on here proclaim, that 9 wins should be the expectation.
 
#265      
We get a new coach and now we (this board) are massively lowering our expectations. Incredible! I do agree with you in regards to season # 2. I just think that if BB is the great coach that so many on here proclaim, that 9 wins should be the expectation.
If he's just a good coach I would be happy. I would settle for 5-7 with less embarrassing losses.

What is the point you are trying to make here? That we should lower our expectations or that Lovie wasn't given a fair shake?
 
#266      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
We get a new coach and now we (this board) are massively lowering our expectations. Incredible! I do agree with you in regards to season # 2. I just think that if BB is the great coach that so many on here proclaim, that 9 wins should be the expectation.
Show me a coherent, well thought out plan that is being executed and I am happy to be patient until there is compelling evidence that the plan is failing.

With Lovie there were three entirely different strategies in five years, none of them constructed in a way that made sense or which seemed to have thoughtfully maximized the available resources.

Bielema's plan to hit local recruiting hard and build a physical team that's "smart, tough, dependable" as he says and which controls the game and minimizes the number of things that need to go right to win makes good sense and fits the resources he has. And he's coaxed back a number of players who make sense for that concept, and he's built a staff that fits with that concept. So far so good.

But, it will not be smooth sailing. We will lose critical games. We will miss on critical recruits. That's college football and that's especially Illinois football. It would look easy if it were easy. This coach like all the others before him will be measured by how robust the plan is against the inevitable challenges. I'm excited to find out.
 
#267      

GrayGhost77

Centennial, CO
We get a new coach and now we (this board) are massively lowering our expectations. Incredible! I do agree with you in regards to season # 2. I just think that if BB is the great coach that so many on here proclaim, that 9 wins should be the expectation.
Very rarely does a new coach come in who is able to turn around a moribund program that quickly, even with majority of key players returning. It simply takes time for coaches to mesh and get on the same page and players to absorb all new playbooks and concepts. 9 wins would have been pushing it this past season even without COVID and even under a great coach. We must also take into account the relative strength of other teams we'll be playing. The Big Ten West has gotten progressively more difficult over the past few years as teams like Minnesota have risen and Purdue has gotten at least respectable.
 
#268      

illini80

Forgottonia
Very rarely does a new coach come in who is able to turn around a moribund program that quickly, even with majority of key players returning. It simply takes time for coaches to mesh and get on the same page and players to absorb all new playbooks and concepts. 9 wins would have been pushing it this past season even without COVID and even under a great coach. We must also take into account the relative strength of other teams we'll be playing. The Big Ten West has gotten progressively more difficult over the past few years as teams like Minnesota have risen and Purdue has gotten at least respectable.
I think your point about the B10 West is important. If we get to .500 in conference that would be huge and would mean we are winning games against well established programs. Loren Tate had some figures on how good and consistent NW, Iowa, and Wisconsin have been over a number of years. Just because we are getting better doesn’t mean they will get worse. Add to that teams that we would have expected to feast on a few years ago like Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers that have significantly raised their floor. While OSU is alone at the top, the B10 as a whole is as probably as strong as it has ever been. Not an easy time to be trying to climb the ladder.
 
#269      

Illiniaaron

Geneseo, IL
We get a new coach and now we (this board) are massively lowering our expectations. Incredible! I do agree with you in regards to season # 2. I just think that if BB is the great coach that so many on here proclaim, that 9 wins should be the expectation.
If they win nine games next year, BB will be Big Ten Coach of the Year and a candidate for National Coach of the Year. I'm not even concerned about wins next season, just get a coherent plan in place and begin executing.
 
#270      

JFGsCoffeeMug

BU:1 Trash cans:0
Chicago
If you were to begin identifying the teams who can reasonably expect to win 9 games next season, I think you'll find we clearly don't belong on that list. A new coaching staff shouldn't be expected to turn us into a powerhouse overnight.
 
#272      

DReq

Always Illini
Central Illinois
I gather from a recent email that we might be "FamILLy" now. Don't know if that's official.
That sounds fine. I don't care what banner we fly so long as we get good solid recruits and they are taught what they need to compete in the B1G. I don't really care too much about the WL this year so long as we look like we belong in the B1G and I don't scratch my head wondering why we are calling the plays we are calling. Year 1 bar should always be low for a new coach.
 
#273      
If they win nine games next year, BB will be Big Ten Coach of the Year and a candidate for National Coach of the Year. I'm not even concerned about wins next season, just get a coherent plan in place and begin executing.
I'll be happy if we simply cover someone, anyone over the center of the field and also try to tackle PLAYERS rather than trying, instead, to strip the ball. Oh, and maybe practice tackling instead of two-hand touch.
 
#274      
Based upon so many expectations for BB, anything less than 9 wins is a fail on his part. Lovie would have won 6 or 7 with a spring and summer plus a non-conference schedule last season. So, since he was so poor and BB is so great, it is 9 wins or bust. I don't even like Lovie because of his offensive philosophy of always trying to pound the football on the ground. But, BB is inheriting guys a year older, a year mote experienced, a year stronger, that everyone was sure should win 6 or 7 games this past season. BB has most of those guys back so, based on everyone's BB belief, 9 wins should be the minimum! I will also say that based upon BB's past offensive philosophy, I would be in the transfer portal if I was a wr. But, maybe he did learn something in the NFL.
Nick Toon and Jared Abbrederis had stellar careers at WR with Bielema as coach, both were drafted.
 
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