Illini Football 2022

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#401      

GILL-INOIS

G
GILL-INOIS
There are a lot of people who don't get ESPNU in the package. I have it plus the game was also shown on the ACC Network.

Not sure how many people have thought of this, but know back in the day to save some $$$ I use to stream games online through sources that may or may not have been legal. People stream games on Youtube all the time, etc. Numbers are likely higher than what the "numbers posted" show. I don't lose any sleep on tv ratings, seats in the stadium, etc.
 
#402      

the national

the national
the Front Range
the national
GILL-INOIS said:
There are a lot of people who don't get ESPNU in the package. I have it plus the game was also shown on the ACC Network.

Not sure how many people have thought of this, but know back in the day to save some $$$ I use to stream games online through sources that may or may not have been legal. People stream games on Youtube all the time, etc. Numbers are likely higher than what the "numbers posted" show. I don't lose any sleep on tv ratings, seats in the stadium, etc.
Click to expand...
I couldn’t get it with my package. It was frustrating. I think it was late 3rd quarter, ESPN made a mistake with the streaming and was able to get it on my phone (though I wasn’t signed in)
 
#405      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Illinois football linebacker Ezekiel Holmes out for season with knee injury

Illinois Fighting Illini football linebacker Ezekiel Holmes out for season with knee injury suffered against Virginia.
www.stltoday.com www.stltoday.com

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois will be without one of its defensive starters for the rest of the season.
Coach Bret Bielema announced that outside linebacker Ezekiel Holmes will have surgery to repair a knee injury suffered against Virginia that and will be out for the rest of the season.
Holmes started the first three games this season and won the starting job after being in a reserve role and contributing on special teams for the past three seasons.

“The prognosis is a little bit longer but is one the doctors feel very confident about once the procedure is done and the rehab that takes place,” Bielema said. “Reached out to Zeke every day since then. It’s one of those tough things because he was really starting to play some good football. As we all know, this sport is a violent sport. Prayers and thoughts with Zeke. I think it should be a full recovery but we probably, unfortunately, won’t see him until next fall.”
Freshman Gabe Jacas played a good portion of snaps down the stretch against Virginia and had a pair of sacks. Jacas and Alec Bryant, who missed the game vs. Virginia due to a concussion but is likely to return against Chattanooga, are likely in line for an increased snap share.
 
#407      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
Didn't know where else to put this, but I have been trying to keep track of all of the TV ratings numbers I can get my hands on. One conclusion already? Any article about "most viewers per team" or whatever should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Your number of viewers is almost entirely related to who you play, when you play them and on what channel your game is broadcasted. Additionally, I have noticed that Big Ten teams fare horribly on channels like ESPNU, likely due to a lot of cable companies not offering that channel in B1G markets as often (for example, my parents in Iowa City do not get ESPNU through Mediacom ... which is the worst cable company ever, by the way...).

Here is an example. Wisconsin drew 3.9 million viewers for its game vs. Washington State last Saturday on FOX. I have no doubt Wisconsin has a huge fan base, but it's very clear that a lot of casual, unaffiliated fans across the country are simply tuning into whatever FOX has on. As a comparison, Wisconsin had 498k viewers for its season opener vs. Illinois State in Week 1 on BTN ... that's fewer viewers than Illinois/Wyoming had on BTN the week before (512k). Yes, Illinois was playing in Week 0 with less competition, but it's still the BTN. The point is that it seems most schools have about 350k-500k viewers who will tune in 80-90% of the time, with obvious exceptions like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Alabama, etc. But when an article tries claiming that, say, Oklahoma State gets "better TV ratings" than Illinois ... uh, yeah, technically, but I am epically skeptical that this has much to do with the two schools' fan bases and a lot more to do with the fact that we get to play in important games on the big time channels way less often.

For fun, here are our TV ratings for some games in case anyone is interested!

2022
512k vs. Wyoming (3:00 pm on BTN)
965k at Indiana (7:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... this is actually a very good rating for a Friday!
159k vs. Virginia (3:00 pm on ESPNU) ... ESPNU is trash...

2021
3.22 million vs. Nebraska (12:00 pm on FOX)
211k vs. UTSA (6:30 pm on BTN)
690k vs. Maryland (8:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... again, not bad for a Friday!
367k at Purdue (2:30 pm on BTN)
413k vs. Wisconsin (2:30 pm on BTN)
3.77 million at Penn State (11:00 am on ABC)
379k vs. Rutgers (11:00 am on BTN)
595k at Minnesota (11:00 am on ESPN)
677k at Iowa (1:00 pm on FS1)
139k vs. Northwestern (2:30 pm on BTN) ... ouch, this one is terrible

2019
896k vs. Nebraska (7:00 pm on BTN)
2.13 million vs. Michigan (11:00 am on ABC)
1.10 million vs. Wisconsin (11:00 am on BTN) ... GREAT rating for BTN
569k at Michigan State (2:30 pm on FS1)
219k vs. Northwestern (11:00 am on FS1)
1.87 million vs. Cal in the Redbox Bowl (3:00 pm on a Monday on FOX)

Random/Other Blasts from the Past
2015 - 4.08 million vs. Ohio State (11:00 am on ABC)
2013 - 3.33 million vs. Michigan State (2:30 pm on ABC)
2007-08 - 19.00 million vs. USC in the Rose Bowl (3:30 pm on ABC)
2001-02 - 13.06 million vs. LSU in the Sugar Bowl (7:30 pm on ABC)

Fun side note, as well ... our 2005 NC game vs. North Carolina is still one of the highest rated NC games of the last 20+ years and drew over 6 million more than last year's NC game...
 
#411      

Bbuck21

B
Bbuck21
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Didn't know where else to put this, but I have been trying to keep track of all of the TV ratings numbers I can get my hands on. One conclusion already? Any article about "most viewers per team" or whatever should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Your number of viewers is almost entirely related to who you play, when you play them and on what channel your game is broadcasted. Additionally, I have noticed that Big Ten teams fare horribly on channels like ESPNU, likely due to a lot of cable companies not offering that channel in B1G markets as often (for example, my parents in Iowa City do not get ESPNU through Mediacom ... which is the worst cable company ever, by the way...).

Here is an example. Wisconsin drew 3.9 million viewers for its game vs. Washington State last Saturday on FOX. I have no doubt Wisconsin has a huge fan base, but it's very clear that a lot of casual, unaffiliated fans across the country are simply tuning into whatever FOX has on. As a comparison, Wisconsin had 498k viewers for its season opener vs. Illinois State in Week 1 on BTN ... that's fewer viewers than Illinois/Wyoming had on BTN the week before (512k). Yes, Illinois was playing in Week 0 with less competition, but it's still the BTN. The point is that it seems most schools have about 350k-500k viewers who will tune in 80-90% of the time, with obvious exceptions like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Alabama, etc. But when an article tries claiming that, say, Oklahoma State gets "better TV ratings" than Illinois ... uh, yeah, technically, but I am epically skeptical that this has much to do with the two schools' fan bases and a lot more to do with the fact that we get to play in important games on the big time channels way less often.

For fun, here are our TV ratings for some games in case anyone is interested!

2022
512k vs. Wyoming (3:00 pm on BTN)
965k at Indiana (7:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... this is actually a very good rating for a Friday!
159k vs. Virginia (3:00 pm on ESPNU) ... ESPNU is trash...

2021
3.22 million vs. Nebraska (12:00 pm on FOX)
211k vs. UTSA (6:30 pm on BTN)
690k vs. Maryland (8:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... again, not bad for a Friday!
367k at Purdue (2:30 pm on BTN)
413k vs. Wisconsin (2:30 pm on BTN)
3.77 million at Penn State (11:00 am on ABC)
379k vs. Rutgers (11:00 am on BTN)
595k at Minnesota (11:00 am on ESPN)
677k at Iowa (1:00 pm on FS1)
139k vs. Northwestern (2:30 pm on BTN) ... ouch, this one is terrible

2019
896k vs. Nebraska (7:00 pm on BTN)
2.13 million vs. Michigan (11:00 am on ABC)
1.10 million vs. Wisconsin (11:00 am on BTN) ... GREAT rating for BTN
569k at Michigan State (2:30 pm on FS1)
219k vs. Northwestern (11:00 am on FS1)
1.87 million vs. Cal in the Redbox Bowl (3:00 pm on a Monday on FOX)

Random/Other Blasts from the Past
2015 - 4.08 million vs. Ohio State (11:00 am on ABC)
2013 - 3.33 million vs. Michigan State (2:30 pm on ABC)
2007-08 - 19.00 million vs. USC in the Rose Bowl (3:30 pm on ABC)
2001-02 - 13.06 million vs. LSU in the Sugar Bowl (7:30 pm on ABC)

Fun side note, as well ... our 2005 NC game vs. North Carolina is still one of the highest rated NC games of the last 20+ years and drew over 6 million more than last year's NC game...
Click to expand...
Joel,
Lots of interesting information. I think. Thanks for the effort. However, you have WAY too much time on your hands!
 
#412      

DeonThomas

DeonThomas
South Carolina
DeonThomas
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Didn't know where else to put this, but I have been trying to keep track of all of the TV ratings numbers I can get my hands on. One conclusion already? Any article about "most viewers per team" or whatever should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Your number of viewers is almost entirely related to who you play, when you play them and on what channel your game is broadcasted. Additionally, I have noticed that Big Ten teams fare horribly on channels like ESPNU, likely due to a lot of cable companies not offering that channel in B1G markets as often (for example, my parents in Iowa City do not get ESPNU through Mediacom ... which is the worst cable company ever, by the way...).

Here is an example. Wisconsin drew 3.9 million viewers for its game vs. Washington State last Saturday on FOX. I have no doubt Wisconsin has a huge fan base, but it's very clear that a lot of casual, unaffiliated fans across the country are simply tuning into whatever FOX has on. As a comparison, Wisconsin had 498k viewers for its season opener vs. Illinois State in Week 1 on BTN ... that's fewer viewers than Illinois/Wyoming had on BTN the week before (512k). Yes, Illinois was playing in Week 0 with less competition, but it's still the BTN. The point is that it seems most schools have about 350k-500k viewers who will tune in 80-90% of the time, with obvious exceptions like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Alabama, etc. But when an article tries claiming that, say, Oklahoma State gets "better TV ratings" than Illinois ... uh, yeah, technically, but I am epically skeptical that this has much to do with the two schools' fan bases and a lot more to do with the fact that we get to play in important games on the big time channels way less often.

For fun, here are our TV ratings for some games in case anyone is interested!

2022
512k vs. Wyoming (3:00 pm on BTN)
965k at Indiana (7:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... this is actually a very good rating for a Friday!
159k vs. Virginia (3:00 pm on ESPNU) ... ESPNU is trash...

2021
3.22 million vs. Nebraska (12:00 pm on FOX)
211k vs. UTSA (6:30 pm on BTN)
690k vs. Maryland (8:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... again, not bad for a Friday!
367k at Purdue (2:30 pm on BTN)
413k vs. Wisconsin (2:30 pm on BTN)
3.77 million at Penn State (11:00 am on ABC)
379k vs. Rutgers (11:00 am on BTN)
595k at Minnesota (11:00 am on ESPN)
677k at Iowa (1:00 pm on FS1)
139k vs. Northwestern (2:30 pm on BTN) ... ouch, this one is terrible

2019
896k vs. Nebraska (7:00 pm on BTN)
2.13 million vs. Michigan (11:00 am on ABC)
1.10 million vs. Wisconsin (11:00 am on BTN) ... GREAT rating for BTN
569k at Michigan State (2:30 pm on FS1)
219k vs. Northwestern (11:00 am on FS1)
1.87 million vs. Cal in the Redbox Bowl (3:00 pm on a Monday on FOX)

Random/Other Blasts from the Past
2015 - 4.08 million vs. Ohio State (11:00 am on ABC)
2013 - 3.33 million vs. Michigan State (2:30 pm on ABC)
2007-08 - 19.00 million vs. USC in the Rose Bowl (3:30 pm on ABC)
2001-02 - 13.06 million vs. LSU in the Sugar Bowl (7:30 pm on ABC)

Fun side note, as well ... our 2005 NC game vs. North Carolina is still one of the highest rated NC games of the last 20+ years and drew over 6 million more than last year's NC game...
Click to expand...
Great info. Well this makes me feel better! The 4 network stations draw much better than anyone else. Good to know -- thx Nightman!!!
 
#413      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
Bbuck21 said:
Joel,
Lots of interesting information. I think. Thanks for the effort. However, you have WAY too much time on your hands!
Click to expand...
On the contrary, I work in a currently-short-staffed consulting office and am getting married on October 1st; I usually feel like I’m drowning! 😂

However, for whatever odd reason, I find myself passionate about this stuff. Some people go for a jog when they need a break, I guess I try to look up TV ratings!!
 
#414      

pruman91

pruman91
Paducah, Ky
pruman91
www.stltoday.com

Michael Marchese, a former walk-on, shares emotion of his first Illinois touchdown

Michael Marchese has played on both sides of the ball and at three positions over his six-year career for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team.
www.stltoday.com www.stltoday.com

By Anderson Kimball Decatur (Ill.) Herald & Review

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There had been a running joke around the Illinois locker room, and Michael Marchese was getting a little sick of it.
He’s played in every single phase for Illinois over his six seasons, starting as a walk-on in 2017 and playing safety and linebacker before a switch to tight end in 2021. He’d contributed to the team in basically every way except getting in the end zone.
Twice in his career he’d gotten tackled inside the 5-yard line. On an interception, he was just short of a pick-six against Western Illinois in 2018 and was stopped just short of a touchdown grab last season vs. Minnesota, but that dry spell ended Saturday.

Marchese found himself all alone on a wheel route near the end of the first quarter against Virginia.
“I thought I was going to like just turn around and catch the ball,” Marchese said. “Honestly, when I caught the ball I was just like telling myself: Just run. Just run, just run. Just don’t get caught or anything like that.”
Marchese wasn’t caught and got in the end zone for a 39-yard score, giving Illinois a two-score lead and also putting any doubts or jokes centering around his ability to find pay dirt to rest.
 
#415      

bluemountain

B
bluemountain
Fighter of the Nightman said:
Didn't know where else to put this, but I have been trying to keep track of all of the TV ratings numbers I can get my hands on. One conclusion already? Any article about "most viewers per team" or whatever should be taken with a huge grain of salt. Your number of viewers is almost entirely related to who you play, when you play them and on what channel your game is broadcasted. Additionally, I have noticed that Big Ten teams fare horribly on channels like ESPNU, likely due to a lot of cable companies not offering that channel in B1G markets as often (for example, my parents in Iowa City do not get ESPNU through Mediacom ... which is the worst cable company ever, by the way...).

Here is an example. Wisconsin drew 3.9 million viewers for its game vs. Washington State last Saturday on FOX. I have no doubt Wisconsin has a huge fan base, but it's very clear that a lot of casual, unaffiliated fans across the country are simply tuning into whatever FOX has on. As a comparison, Wisconsin had 498k viewers for its season opener vs. Illinois State in Week 1 on BTN ... that's fewer viewers than Illinois/Wyoming had on BTN the week before (512k). Yes, Illinois was playing in Week 0 with less competition, but it's still the BTN. The point is that it seems most schools have about 350k-500k viewers who will tune in 80-90% of the time, with obvious exceptions like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan, Alabama, etc. But when an article tries claiming that, say, Oklahoma State gets "better TV ratings" than Illinois ... uh, yeah, technically, but I am epically skeptical that this has much to do with the two schools' fan bases and a lot more to do with the fact that we get to play in important games on the big time channels way less often.

For fun, here are our TV ratings for some games in case anyone is interested!

2022
512k vs. Wyoming (3:00 pm on BTN)
965k at Indiana (7:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... this is actually a very good rating for a Friday!
159k vs. Virginia (3:00 pm on ESPNU) ... ESPNU is trash...

2021
3.22 million vs. Nebraska (12:00 pm on FOX)
211k vs. UTSA (6:30 pm on BTN)
690k vs. Maryland (8:00 pm on a Friday on FS1) ... again, not bad for a Friday!
367k at Purdue (2:30 pm on BTN)
413k vs. Wisconsin (2:30 pm on BTN)
3.77 million at Penn State (11:00 am on ABC)
379k vs. Rutgers (11:00 am on BTN)
595k at Minnesota (11:00 am on ESPN)
677k at Iowa (1:00 pm on FS1)
139k vs. Northwestern (2:30 pm on BTN) ... ouch, this one is terrible

2019
896k vs. Nebraska (7:00 pm on BTN)
2.13 million vs. Michigan (11:00 am on ABC)
1.10 million vs. Wisconsin (11:00 am on BTN) ... GREAT rating for BTN
569k at Michigan State (2:30 pm on FS1)
219k vs. Northwestern (11:00 am on FS1)
1.87 million vs. Cal in the Redbox Bowl (3:00 pm on a Monday on FOX)

Random/Other Blasts from the Past
2015 - 4.08 million vs. Ohio State (11:00 am on ABC)
2013 - 3.33 million vs. Michigan State (2:30 pm on ABC)
2007-08 - 19.00 million vs. USC in the Rose Bowl (3:30 pm on ABC)
2001-02 - 13.06 million vs. LSU in the Sugar Bowl (7:30 pm on ABC)

Fun side note, as well ... our 2005 NC game vs. North Carolina is still one of the highest rated NC games of the last 20+ years and drew over 6 million more than last year's NC game...
Click to expand...
I think a lot of people tuned in to the end of the PSU game last year just to see how it ended.
 
#416      

illinigiant80

I
illinigiant80
Fighter of the Nightman said:
On the contrary, I work in a currently-short-staffed consulting office and am getting married on October 1st; I usually feel like I’m drowning! 😂

However, for whatever odd reason, I find myself passionate about this stuff. Some people go for a jog when they need a break, I guess I try to look up TV ratings!!
Click to expand...
Congrats on the marriage. It will be my 11 yr anniversary. I’ll always think of the nightman on that date. Sounds a little weird , but oh well.
 
#417      

Jtepn87

J
Jtepn87
Once the "W's" start coming, the viewers will as well. I've talked to so many people about watching the Illini games and their response is "they suck don't they". They just have no interest in watching what is perceived as a bad product. We on the boards understand that the tide is starting to turn, but the average person doesn't yet. Make a couple of bowl games in a row, with some more upsets, and people will become curious. Right now apathy is the disease. Winning is the cure.
 
#418      

Illinivek23

Illinivek23
Gurnee
Illinivek23
Jtepn87 said:
Once the "W's" start coming, the viewers will as well. I've talked to so many people about watching the Illini games and their response is "they suck don't they". They just have no interest in watching what is perceived as a bad product. We on the boards understand that the tide is starting to turn, but the average person doesn't yet. Make a couple of bowl games in a row, with some more upsets, and people will become curious. Right now apathy is the disease. Winning is the cure.
Click to expand...
A Badger friend texted she was afraid they were going to lose to New Mexico State. Said Illini are "very impressive"....need some surprises in B1G play after the Indinia lesson and others will take note. Our style of D is so aggressive and fun to watch as a fan. JMHO.
 
#419      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
Jtepn87 said:
Once the "W's" start coming, the viewers will as well. I've talked to so many people about watching the Illini games and their response is "they suck don't they". They just have no interest in watching what is perceived as a bad product. We on the boards understand that the tide is starting to turn, but the average person doesn't yet. Make a couple of bowl games in a row, with some more upsets, and people will become curious. Right now apathy is the disease. Winning is the cure.
Click to expand...
I think this is largely true, but I would guess that it goes in stages. I moved to Chicago in August 2019, and the enthusiasm "around town" for Week 0/1 from 2019 to 2021 to 2022 has been a linear improvement. In 2019, it seemed nobody really cared besides the little alumni get-togethers at Brickhouse Tavern or wherever. However, I saw a decent amount of Illini gear out for our Week 0 game against Nebraska last year, and I actually saw a ton of Illini shirts out and about this year for the Wyoming weekend.

We won't get the casual fans back until we actually start posting winning Big Ten records, but there are even segments within the "diehard fan base," IMO. Our fan enthusiasm as Wisconsin demolished us in Week 1 of the shortened 2020 season was likely at an all-time low, and I think there has been a clear increase since then. However, until we provide a "shock to the system," our crowds will likely cap out around 45k for big games, and we will likely not draw amazing TV ratings. That "shock" does not have to be a specific upset (like, say, beating Michigan this year), either - I think it can be simply having a surprisingly great record that generates some buzz. Our problem over the years is that when we get to that hurdle where enthusiasm is building and people are ready to buy back in, we disappoint. The hype for the 2008 and 2009 seasons completely deflated people, we got it back with the 6-0 start in 2011 only to have an epic collapse, Lovie provided a spark in 2019 only to lose to Northwestern on the final game of the season/2020 was a complete bust, etc. Too often we have gotten our hesitant casual fans to put "one foot in the door" only to disappoint them at the crucial moment.

The parallel this year would be beating Chattanooga, pulling off the upset in Madison and then hosting Iowa in Champaign on 10/8. We would be 4-1 (1-1) with a traditional rival coming to town on what is sure to be a perfect football day. This looks like our best chance to break the losing streak vs. Iowa in years, and we would likely at that point draw a pretty good crowd (good enough to provide a fun atmosphere even if the balconies aren't full). In this situation in years past, Illinois would fold vs. Iowa, and the casuals would bail again. Given the state of the West, how relatively good we have looked so far and the fact that this is a crucial year to build momentum in the Bielema Era ... we HAVE to take advantage.
 
#420      

wma500

wma500
wma500
Fighter of the Nightman said:
On the contrary, I work in a currently-short-staffed consulting office and am getting married on October 1st; I usually feel like I’m drowning! 😂

However, for whatever odd reason, I find myself passionate about this stuff. Some people go for a jog when they need a break, I guess I try to look up TV ratings!!
Click to expand...
Post more, please!
 
#421      

Battle89

Battle89
Battle89
Fighter of the Nightman said:
On the contrary, I work in a currently-short-staffed consulting office and am getting married on October 1st; I usually feel like I’m drowning! 😂

However, for whatever odd reason, I find myself passionate about this stuff. Some people go for a jog when they need a break, I guess I try to look up TV ratings!!
Click to expand...
Congratulations! Does this mean you will now be a Lover, and not a Fighter?

1663358261881.png
 
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