Illini Football 2023
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
One more thing ... ratings and exposure.
For reference, our "pretty good" bowl game last year was on ESPN2. ESPN2 doesn't usually deliver stellar ratings, but they are okay ... depending on the team, comparable or slightly better than BTN or FS1. To drive home the point of why bowl game exposure is a big advantage and compare apples to apples, here are some comparable ESPN2 ratings for Big Ten games from last year and then our bowl game:
1.07 million for Minnesota at Nebraska
835k for Purdue at #21 Illinois
829k for Purdue at Minnesota
483k for Northwestern at Iowa
392k for Maryland at Indiana
...
2.18 million for #22 Mississippi State vs. Illinois
And that is a "pretty good bowl" on a meh channel. The big-time bowl games bring your exposure to a truly unprecedent level. For another reference, compare the very good 3.22 million viewers we drew vs. PSU earlier this month or the even better 5.47 million viewers for our game vs. Michigan last year to the top 5 bowl games from last year:
22.45 million for Georgia vs. Ohio State (CFP Semi-Final)
21.70 million for TCU vs. Michigan (CFP Semi-Final)
17.22 million for TCU vs. Georgia (CFP Final)
10.19 million for Penn State vs. Utah (Rose Bowl)
9.14 million for Alabama vs. Kansas State (Sugar Bowl)
BTW, for a comparison to that Rose Bowl rating ... our 2007-08 Rose Bowl vs. USC drew 19 million viewers.
It won't and I don't think many people are arguing that. The fans hoping for 6-6 and a bowl game are just hoping for one more game this year and they view going to a bowl game as a successful season, primarily because it has been ingrained in their heads as something special because Illinois rarely gets there. I don't think any of that crowd has voiced that going 6-6 will turn our fortunes around. They'd just be happy we got there.
The other group of fans are the ones saying the opportunity is there to go at least 8-4 this year, and at the very least compete for, if not win the extremely awful West Division, because that is something that could be used for recruiting this year, and for pulling some high-end recruits we wouldn't normally get as a B10 Championship Game program on the upswing. These are the ones who view even a 6-6 record as a major missed opportunity in a long line of missed opportunities. A trip to Yankee stadium against a bad team won't do anything for our future. A trip to Indy though where we play a team like Michigan down to the final whistle? That just might. And while it seems unrealistic as we've looked awful these first 4 games, if we could put it together and patch up our holes at RT and LB, this could become a reality as the West is there on a silver platter for any team that wants to take it.
Yeah, I want bowl, 8-4, and win West too. Actually, it turns out I may have been replying to your post originally when you said, "If we can't get over 6 wins with this dogmeat schedule, it'll be fairly difficult to get optimistic about our chances with the tough as hell schedules coming down the line starting next year."
I was just saying that even if we do get to 6 wins this year it will be hard to be too optimistic about our future chances. In fact, even if we go 8-4 and win the West, I don't think it really means anything in relation to the massive reset that's coming.
But, I am a BBeliever and generally too optimistic given our past, so I'll be hopeful either way tbh.
It just comes down to this for me, only 1 team can win a national championship. But 5 teams can win a Power 5 football conference title, 6 teams can win a Power 6 basketball conference and all the mid and low majors derive just as much joy from winning their conferences.
There are years where Illini basketball can win any conference. Not sure if we can say the same thing about our football team. I've been thinking recently while watching the Bears and my fantasy football team go 0-3, being a sports fan is a strange thing. We love the games, we love our teams, but you're basically signing up for misery when your team is no good. You look at teams like the Detroit Lions that haven't won a playoff game since 1991 and you think why would anyone pick that team to be a fan of?
This is my concern with the consolidated conferences. You'll see the Big Ten football champion be OSU, Michigan, Oregon, or USC basically every year. I have 0 faith that Illinois will ever win this new Big Ten in football, ever. And if that's the thought, why invest in the team? I just wonder how many fans for teams that will just never win, will start to say, I have better things to do on a Saturday than watch my favorite team lose? The casual fans will drop pretty quickly I'd guess. As of right now, our last conference championship was 22 years ago. What will the fanbase look like when its 50+ years ago?
Ah, the ever expanding american a$$. I surprised toilet seats don't come in sizes sm., md., lg,. xl, and xxl.
While I appreciate your sentiment, and know many people think this way, there is a solid level we can get to that will let us enjoy games, always be competitive and be a fun team to watch (on tv and in person).
And I do agree that the level we (and the Bears) and many other teams have been at makes watching football the opposite of fun. For many years, I literally gave up even watching our games because we looked like a poorly coached high school team and had virtually no shot at winning.
I see glimmers, and if we can get to let's say an Iowa (not with their current offense) or Wisconsin level of winning, with an outside shot of being in the top four teams in the country every 8-10 years, we'd have something fun to be a part of. If we keep improving the stadium experience, and sustain 7-9 win seasons, people will make Illinois football a part of their weekend.
I think we'll get there, and I think the realignment and watching schools get pushed out of what will soon be the Big 2 is showing administrations that football needs to be invested in for the sake of all sports, and that those media $ are critical to funding athletic departments (unless you have a $10B+ endowment and don't care).
You’ve actually picked the only measurable where bleachers are preferable. Wedging my expanded American a$$ into some stadium chairs is very painful. Allstate Arena comes to mind.
For all other aspects, especially my lower back, yes chairs please.
MustangWally
- Mayfield
Have something similar for HS games but thought they were not allowed at college games (have to buy / rent from the official vendor).
MustangWally
- Mayfield
Walked into the Penn State game with it. No problem.
Before the season the o line was thought to be decent. This year it is horrendous. Without an O line you can’t do anything on offense
For people who watch tape or have some inside info why is the unit struggling so much
For people who watch tape or have some inside info why is the unit struggling so much
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
Based on today's game, I think it is highly unlikely that the Illini show up in any bowl projections released this week.
It is also very unlikely Illini will win any road game left unless something drastic changes (@Marlyland, @Minnesota, @Iowa). Even the home games will be a struggle.
Realistically this team will probably go 5-7 (assuming road losses and loss to Wisconsin on Homecoming) if the team recovers on Friday. Lose on Friday to Nebraska, and this could end up collapsing to a 3-9 or 4-8 season.
Amazing how much today's loss changes the goal posts on season outlook. This team has so many mental miscues, penalties, bad turnovers, cannot get consistent pressure on opposing QB's, and the oline is outmatched weekly. Combine that with many key injuries, and it is hard to find any game left where you can circle as a sure win.
A complete disaster of September, and amazing it could have been worse if Griffin missed the game winning field goal vs Toledo. Before the season 6 wins felt like a letdown, given the soft B1G schedule. Now even that might be a stretch...
It is also very unlikely Illini will win any road game left unless something drastic changes (@Marlyland, @Minnesota, @Iowa). Even the home games will be a struggle.
Realistically this team will probably go 5-7 (assuming road losses and loss to Wisconsin on Homecoming) if the team recovers on Friday. Lose on Friday to Nebraska, and this could end up collapsing to a 3-9 or 4-8 season.
Amazing how much today's loss changes the goal posts on season outlook. This team has so many mental miscues, penalties, bad turnovers, cannot get consistent pressure on opposing QB's, and the oline is outmatched weekly. Combine that with many key injuries, and it is hard to find any game left where you can circle as a sure win.
A complete disaster of September, and amazing it could have been worse if Griffin missed the game winning field goal vs Toledo. Before the season 6 wins felt like a letdown, given the soft B1G schedule. Now even that might be a stretch...
Illinicpa14
- Chicago
Agree - Last year proves this exact point. We were 8-4 regular season, at times ranked but not really a threat to do anything in the greater CFP scale (and our path to win the conference was still upsetting a top 5 team had we got there), and yet we were all excited about it.
Speaks to expectations of this program vs our basketball team, which for all its faults was a 9 seed (implied top 36 team in the country) and the general sentiment was negative on them throughout the year.
Same thing with the women’s team. They were so bad for so long, that all the sudden being a bubble/last 4 in type team was a great accomplishment (and it was) and there was suddenly excitement on here that’s never been here, even though their ceiling was probably winning 1 tourney game.
aiwpfan
- Springfield, Il
Unless the O-Line Fairy shows up and graces Illinois with a functional O-Line, this team will be hard pressed to win two more games this season.
I wouldn't bet against what you said here, but it's funny (and I know I'll get blasted for this comment), but is there a simpler thing to do in football than "big strong man get in way of oncoming man"?
Like, we're not going up against JJ Watt, Aaron Donald, and Myles Garrett every down. How are we whiffing so bad so often?
The root of the problem is that the big strong men across the LOS from our big strong men are uniformly quicker and better athletes than our BSM. And they know where they are going to go when the ball is snapped. I think it's that simple. You recruit your way out of that.
Illinivek23
- Gurnee
So...PU has better athletes in the trenches than we do? And Toledo, KS and FAU? Something is just not adding up.
So we have gone 3-7 over our last 10 games, with wins over NU, Toledo, and FAU, while watching teams like Duke and Kansas develop respectable programs. I'm a Bret fan, but all of our studs from last year's team were Lovie recruits and since the MSU game last year, we look like the same old Illini.
Yeah, and his one good hire already looks to be passing him.
When we aren't shooting ourselves in the foot, we don't even really look like a ball moving offense. We looked great with Chase and Tommy last year but even then there was times where we felt too plodding on offense.
We have a QB who can sling it and run it, and we seem committed to never letting him use those strengths. We make him sit in a pocket that can't protect him. There are ways to move the QB around that don't involve him getting tackled that we just don't seem to want to do. Luke shows that if he has time be can push the ball downfield accurately. I don't care if you keep an end of line TE into block every play..... there are ways to try to help a line that's struggling.
To be fair, the PU and Michigan games last year should have been wins but for absolute horse crap officiating. But your point is well taken. That does not excuse what we have seen this year at all. Recruiting has to improve exponentially, and if the current staff is not making it happen it has to be changed. I exclude BB from this at the current time, because constant wholesale turnover is what has buried this program since Mackovic left. But BB needs to start winning the recruiting battles, not just the press conferences, and that likely means new coordinators and position coaches.
The struggles with the O-Line so far are not surprising - knowing what Bret inherited. His ‘controversial’ comments that he made that first season were spot-on unfortunately and we are still realizing the impact. 2 things that I can’t help questioning in my mind are:
1. What will be the impact to 2024 and 2025 recruiting after the Purdue game? I know there has been some talk about former recruits from last year and the year before giving us another look, but I can’t help but wonder how this beat down vs Purdont will impact that. I guess we will find out.
2. I was one of many who were thrilled with the hire of coach Bullen. However, I am curious to know what his biggest impact has really been so far? Recruiting? I was really hoping to see some improvement in the pass rush and thought we had quite a bit of quality depth at linebacker, etc…, but so far we are giving the opposing QB’s too much time.
I want to have faith that this staff’s strong suit is their development of players. There are some bright spots for sure, but it’s just not showing on a grand scale right now. I know…patience right? As a long time Illini fan and alum, we have no choice not to be. Living in Clemson country and my wife being a Clemson alum - I still can’t find it in my heart to give up on the beloved and join the Clemson bandwagon.
1. What will be the impact to 2024 and 2025 recruiting after the Purdue game? I know there has been some talk about former recruits from last year and the year before giving us another look, but I can’t help but wonder how this beat down vs Purdont will impact that. I guess we will find out.
2. I was one of many who were thrilled with the hire of coach Bullen. However, I am curious to know what his biggest impact has really been so far? Recruiting? I was really hoping to see some improvement in the pass rush and thought we had quite a bit of quality depth at linebacker, etc…, but so far we are giving the opposing QB’s too much time.
I want to have faith that this staff’s strong suit is their development of players. There are some bright spots for sure, but it’s just not showing on a grand scale right now. I know…patience right? As a long time Illini fan and alum, we have no choice not to be. Living in Clemson country and my wife being a Clemson alum - I still can’t find it in my heart to give up on the beloved and join the Clemson bandwagon.
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