Illinois is one of eight teams with a 95+% chance of making the CFP if they win out. In other words, it's November and we're one of eight teams in the country who still control our own destiny.For those who want to play:
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Illini Football 2022
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The Galloping Ghost
- Washington, DC
It sure does seem logical to tilt that chart 45 degrees-ish to the left, so that "up" equals overall better. (I say "ish" because the existing horizontal and vertical axes don't appear to be consistent (or even intelligible to me).)
Anyway, those numbers (which I note are said to be SOS adjusted) do seem to indicate that our team is on par with Michigan and Georgia. (shiver.)
If the goal is to win the West, then we want Purdue to lose to Iowa. That way, we still have a slim chance even if we lose to Purdue. If the goal is high rankings and the sexiest bowl game, then we do probably want Purdue to beat Iowa.Looking at the upcoming Purdue schedule.
We probably want them to win the Iowa game, yeah? To make that game against Purdue as big as possible.
Because if we lose to Purdue and Michigan, Purdue would have to lose to Iowa and one of Indiana/Northwestern for us to still win the West.
Unlikely that Purdue has the talent to beat us, but lose 2 of their remaining 3.
So let’s make Purdue a massive game and crush ‘em
My goal is the latter. I'm figuring we'll lose to Michigan and OSU. Win the others. I'd like to get a nod over Penn State for the third slot out of the conference.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
This but I’m starting to BELIEVE about that game in Ann Arbor … everything would have to go right, but it’s not the impossible feat I once thought it was!
Allow me to offer a bow and a nod to this Illini team. I have watched Illini football live and basketball on TV since 1955. There is no doubt in my mind that this team by position group is the best I have ever seen...and that includes the Butkus/Grabowski dream year of '63 when the Illini were B1G champs (beating Washington to win the Rose Bowl) while the Dave Downey lead hoopsters combined a close win over Iowa in Champaign while I was courtside in Bloomington the same day watching the Hoosiers beat OSU to give the Illini the title (high school buddy who had signed with Indiana took me along).
However, in all my time watching every Illini game I could, I have never seen a football team more talented and focused than this one....since the Indiana loss to open the season. That opening loss was one of the most disappointing games ever for 3 reasons. Blunder after blunder kept Indiana in the game in spite of defensive dominance. The blown call that negated a legit touchdown was a knife in the back. Finally, watching the defense collapse as the Hoosiers marched the length of the field for a win added insult to injury. But what was so disappointing to me was seeing a team that clearly had the necessary talent wall to wall to send Indiana home with a sound beating taking a humbling loss.
Nevertheless, lessons seemed to have been learned. There is no more excessive celebrating and far fewer boneheaded penalties...true signs that this team has learned to play the game and acting like big plays are expected and not being made for the first time ever. They are not only playing like champions, but acting like champions. Acting like a champion means making big plays the norm, not the exception. This team is good enough to beat Michigan...and do it in the trenches. The next four games will define the season and their legacy. Of course, as a lifelong Illini fan, I want and even now expect them to play in Indy against OSU with a record of 11-1. They are good enough to get it done. But I also know the game and sports competition well enough to know that this team could drop 3 of the next 4 games. Will they? Will is a key word with more than one meaning. Let's hope their will will be done. Regardless, they deserve my nod now.
However, in all my time watching every Illini game I could, I have never seen a football team more talented and focused than this one....since the Indiana loss to open the season. That opening loss was one of the most disappointing games ever for 3 reasons. Blunder after blunder kept Indiana in the game in spite of defensive dominance. The blown call that negated a legit touchdown was a knife in the back. Finally, watching the defense collapse as the Hoosiers marched the length of the field for a win added insult to injury. But what was so disappointing to me was seeing a team that clearly had the necessary talent wall to wall to send Indiana home with a sound beating taking a humbling loss.
Nevertheless, lessons seemed to have been learned. There is no more excessive celebrating and far fewer boneheaded penalties...true signs that this team has learned to play the game and acting like big plays are expected and not being made for the first time ever. They are not only playing like champions, but acting like champions. Acting like a champion means making big plays the norm, not the exception. This team is good enough to beat Michigan...and do it in the trenches. The next four games will define the season and their legacy. Of course, as a lifelong Illini fan, I want and even now expect them to play in Indy against OSU with a record of 11-1. They are good enough to get it done. But I also know the game and sports competition well enough to know that this team could drop 3 of the next 4 games. Will they? Will is a key word with more than one meaning. Let's hope their will will be done. Regardless, they deserve my nod now.
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Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
loving TDV, guy's been great:
doesn't force squat, takes what the D gives. throws a VVG ball w/touch, no panic and has good mobility. Utter godsend.
doesn't force squat, takes what the D gives. throws a VVG ball w/touch, no panic and has good mobility. Utter godsend.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Echoing others, if Devito wants to get into coaching, making him a GA is a flippin' no-brainer.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Just want to give this program and our fans some props and say that I was happy to be proven correct RE: TV ratings ... our "bad" ratings were pretty much entirely because, as a program that has not been successful in recent seasons, we were playing on crap channels at crap times. Our game vs. Nebraska this past weekend drew 2.5 million viewers, outdrawing our lead-in ABC game, Notre Dame/Syracuse!
Additionally, I have been of the opinion that ratings are not great measures of the size of a fan base, because fans get disengaged when you're bad and reengaged when you are good ... but you, at least theoretically, have a similar number of fans through the whole ordeal. Iowa has gotten pretty good TV ratings in the past, but their game on ESPN2 only drew 483k on Saturday ... that's less than we drew on BTN for Wyoming...
I will die on the hill that Illinois is a sleeping giant with a very large potential fan base (including tons of non-alumni fans throughout the state), and I will never not cringe at "University of East Central Illinois"-type thinking, which is quite prevalent when we are bad.
Go ILLINI!
Additionally, I have been of the opinion that ratings are not great measures of the size of a fan base, because fans get disengaged when you're bad and reengaged when you are good ... but you, at least theoretically, have a similar number of fans through the whole ordeal. Iowa has gotten pretty good TV ratings in the past, but their game on ESPN2 only drew 483k on Saturday ... that's less than we drew on BTN for Wyoming...
I will die on the hill that Illinois is a sleeping giant with a very large potential fan base (including tons of non-alumni fans throughout the state), and I will never not cringe at "University of East Central Illinois"-type thinking, which is quite prevalent when we are bad.
Go ILLINI!
Week 9 ratings.
www.sportsmediawatch.com
College Football TV Ratings
College football TV ratings for the 2025 regular season, bowls, College Football Playoff and National Championship.
www.sportsmediawatch.com
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
There have now been 6 Big Ten games without Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State that have gotten over 2 million viewers this season, and the Illini join the club!
4.419 million for Northwestern vs. Nebraska (Dublin in Week 0 - 11:30 am on FOX)
3.920 million for Washington State at #19 Wisconsin (2:30 pm on FOX)
3.414 million for Nebraska at #6 Oklahoma (11:00 am on FOX)
2.791 million for #11 Michigan State at Washington (6:30 pm on ABC)
2.488 million for #17 Illinois at Nebraska (2:30 pm on ABC)
2.452 million for Wisconsin at Michigan State (3:00 pm on FOX)
Obviously, we all know the three aforementioned teams are sort of in a league of their own. Michigan has had 7 out of 8 with 2 million or more, OSU has had 6 out of 8 (including the season high of 10.531 million for the Notre Dame game!) and PSU has had 5 out of 8.
Interesting that FOX generally outdraws ABC, which (IMO) backs up my opinion that most fan bases are actually as fickle as ours and you just don't notice it unless they start sucking! What I mean is that a 3:00 pm FOX game of Wisconsin at MSU (two big fan bases) drawing less than Illinois/Nebraska on ABC was probably a disappointment for that network, likely caused by two depressed fan bases not tuning in like they did at the beginning of the year. Conversely, Illini fans are starting to reengage! Obviously, Nebraska gets great ratings and all, but (1) Their ratings have been going down almost every week since the Georgia Southern loss and (2) they couldn't get that high without a lot of Illini fans tuning in.
4.419 million for Northwestern vs. Nebraska (Dublin in Week 0 - 11:30 am on FOX)
3.920 million for Washington State at #19 Wisconsin (2:30 pm on FOX)
3.414 million for Nebraska at #6 Oklahoma (11:00 am on FOX)
2.791 million for #11 Michigan State at Washington (6:30 pm on ABC)
2.488 million for #17 Illinois at Nebraska (2:30 pm on ABC)
2.452 million for Wisconsin at Michigan State (3:00 pm on FOX)
Obviously, we all know the three aforementioned teams are sort of in a league of their own. Michigan has had 7 out of 8 with 2 million or more, OSU has had 6 out of 8 (including the season high of 10.531 million for the Notre Dame game!) and PSU has had 5 out of 8.
Interesting that FOX generally outdraws ABC, which (IMO) backs up my opinion that most fan bases are actually as fickle as ours and you just don't notice it unless they start sucking! What I mean is that a 3:00 pm FOX game of Wisconsin at MSU (two big fan bases) drawing less than Illinois/Nebraska on ABC was probably a disappointment for that network, likely caused by two depressed fan bases not tuning in like they did at the beginning of the year. Conversely, Illini fans are starting to reengage! Obviously, Nebraska gets great ratings and all, but (1) Their ratings have been going down almost every week since the Georgia Southern loss and (2) they couldn't get that high without a lot of Illini fans tuning in.
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
our PR team has strong game
Nebraska seems to have a huge draw and may have a larger affect than Illini success. (Not saying the success is not impacting).
mhuml32
Gesture of Northern Aggression
Illinois has the highest ratings for that list consisting of a B1G opponent and being played in the US. I'll take it.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
They certainly are a great draw, mostly (IMO) due to their loyalty as fans even more than the pure size of their fan base. However, as I stated, their numbers have been dipping, and I think it's clear Illini fans played a meaningful part in that rating. When you look at BTN time slots of various teams, Illinois draws as well or better than teams like Wisconsin, Iowa and even Penn State when they are forced to play on BTN or FS1.
Yeah, that game is pretty clearly a "fluke" for ratings, given it's prime time on FOX when hardly anything else is on (Week 0), plus the novelty of the Ireland game. I definitely know people who barely watch college football but tuned into that simply because (A) it was a "welcome back" party for college football for the season, and (B) they thought the Ireland thing was interesting and wanted to see what it was like.
One thing is for sure, we know it wasn't Northwestern fans tuning in! Their game vs. Duke on FS1 earlier this year drew 160k...
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Just a reminder of our current overall (football and basketball, consecutively) streaks vs. Big Ten opponents ... oh, Nebraska!
Nebraska: W7 (3 FB and 4 BB)
Northwestern: W5 (4 BB and 1 FB)
Minnesota: W5 (2 FB and 3 BB)
Penn State: W5 (4 BB and 1 FB)
Michigan: W5 (5 BB)
Iowa: W3 (1 FB and 2 BB)
Wisconsin: W2 (1 FB and 1 BB)
Michigan State: W2 (2 BB)
Rutgers: L1 (1 BB)
Ohio State: L1 (1 BB)
Indiana: L2 (1 FB and 1 BB)
Maryland: L2 (1 BB and 1 FB)
Purdue: L3 (2 BB and 1 FB)
Would be really nice to beat Purdue and Michigan this year ... crazy how much we have owned Michigan since Juwan got there.
Nebraska: W7 (3 FB and 4 BB)
Northwestern: W5 (4 BB and 1 FB)
Minnesota: W5 (2 FB and 3 BB)
Penn State: W5 (4 BB and 1 FB)
Michigan: W5 (5 BB)
Iowa: W3 (1 FB and 2 BB)
Wisconsin: W2 (1 FB and 1 BB)
Michigan State: W2 (2 BB)
Rutgers: L1 (1 BB)
Ohio State: L1 (1 BB)
Indiana: L2 (1 FB and 1 BB)
Maryland: L2 (1 BB and 1 FB)
Purdue: L3 (2 BB and 1 FB)
Would be really nice to beat Purdue and Michigan this year ... crazy how much we have owned Michigan since Juwan got there.
reminiscent of how we owned tO$U in football all 5 years Kirk Herbstriet was on their roster
Well I think I have a good sign for things to come, just had our 2nd boy. His name is the best part though, Illias. I have been talking to all my family that are Illini fans and we have already started the I-L-L-I-A-S chants. Wanted to have a name start with I because our other boy's name starts with I but the wife came up with the ILL part when we changed the spelling. Can't ask for more.
chiefini
- Rockford, Illinois
pruman91
- interviewing new NL's daily....I really really am
Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
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