Illini Football 2025

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#126      
pruman91
Ander1345 said:
I don't get the love for Penn State.
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never been impressed with Allar and Franklin in game decisions always come back to haunt him........JMHO..........
 
#130      
Illini2377
 
#134      
Dan
Fighter of the Nightman said:
..gets us back-to-back nine win seasons for the first time E-V-E-R..
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Great point there ^^ Another item to track for 2025 ✔️

All this preseason respect nationally is a bit jarring for me, because it's so rare. Rare to have both preseason respect & have actual success in back-to-back years. But it's great to break thru the preseason "respect barrier".

2024 Illinois Football was legendary. To go 5-1 in one-possession games (including 2-0 in OT) is crazy. It's also crazy that that doesn't even include the victory over Michigan, as Illinois beat Michigan by more than one possession.

I like that the home loss to Minnesota (and perhaps also the Purdue win) is still an irritant. I started following this program in the 1980s, and today imho nothing's really changed- this remains a crazy intense fanbase obsessed with the upward success (or lack thereof) of this program.

I hope the Champaign County hotels (and all other local businesses) make a killing on 2025 football weekends, well into November. Sky high nightly rates, minimum nights to book, you name it. Been far too many years where the program has justifyingly lacked enthusiasm. This year & beyond hopefully, I 🙏 that the local community reaps the benefits (with the inevitable bellyaching online to show for it).

I like that some look back on the victory over 2024 Kansas (5-7) as kinda meh after the dust has settled. I 🙏 that the same kinda feeling is expressed a year from now about 2025 Duke.

I look at the 2025 schedule as 10 tough games. Tough as hell. I would brand Week 4 IL@IN as the B1G Game of the Century.

I just hope that Western Michigan isn't up for the challenge. I mean, what could possibly go wrong in a Week 3 home game vs the Broncos?

Are we talking enough about the magical fact that Illinois Football has October home games vs the defending National Champion in back-to-back years? I ask because last year on Oct. 19th Illinois at Memorial Stadium beat Michigan 21-7. (Fun fact- 217 is the CU area code.)

And now in 2025, we have defending National Champion Ohio State visiting Memorial Stadium on Oct. 11th! Crazy stuff. Let's aim for a $850/night average (2 night minimum) in Champaign-Urbana.

Go Illini! 🔸️ 🔹️
 
#139      
Ander1345
I love when a player is by far the best athlete on the field and they just let him take snaps at QB and just run off tackle even though it's not even close to their best position.
 
#142      
Jimbo
BZuppke said:
I agree with most here but Mike White recruited all of that talent that Mackovic used to win. When that talent ran out, Mackovic struggled. Mackovic was a great Xs and Os guy with the personality of a dead fish. It was Mackovic who could not sustain a program. And when he left we had no AD at a time we could have attracted an experienced head coach. Crucial point in our history.
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We followed Mackovic with maybe our worst coach of our era. I remember running into Mackovic in a golf course parking lot outside of Austin and chatted with him, and mentioned Lou Tepper and he just shook his head. Maybe Moeller was worse, but Tepper was pretty bad.
 
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