sacraig
- The desert
I disagree that there are less expectations here. Illinois fans are just as rabid as any SEC fan, it's just that we are so hungry and emaciated that we'll take any respectable program...for now, until a decent program isn't any good for us anymore, which you know will happen. #alwayshungry
I think this is important to note. Look back at the Zook years. Zook built a respectable on-field product through stellar recruiting and after a few years we wound up in the Rose Bowl. The problem was after that we went back to having "ho-hum" 7-5 and 8-4 type seasons (boy, that feels like the good ol' days). The fans (and donors) had tasted something bigger and we had a new AD looking to make his mark, so that all ended.
To be clear, I think Zook was a great recruiter and a bad gameday coach, so his on-field product usually underperformed its talent level, plus his recruiting was starting to suffer as a result, so it's not really a bad thing he is gone. He's just a good example of how the fanbase's expectations increase with a moderate taste of success.