OnlyOrange
- Belleville, IL
I'd put Penix as the favorite right now.
Week 7 Games
They should be ranked but they haven’t beaten a really good team. They easily could be unbeaten. Unfortunately they should have waited a year and made a case for the CFP
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
They have an identity and stick with it. I don't think that style would work against schools from P5 conferences (Wyoming was the best team they have played of their 6 wins), but short of some fumbles tonight, they are crisp in execution of their game style. Definitely deserve consideration of having a number in front of their name heading into the game against Navy.
Also, USC does not look good at all. I guess PAC12 is the defense optional conference.
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TentakilRex
- Land O Insects between Quincy-Macomb-Jacksonville
USC is the Seyekwah Aowi, a reverse Iowa Hawkeyes.
TentakilRex
- Land O Insects between Quincy-Macomb-Jacksonville
BTW Miami is turning into a disaster which seems on par for a Mario Cristobal team.
Iowa basketball is the reverse of Iowa football.
illini80
- Forgottonia
The human factor. The unknown future. The unpredictable. The reasons that games are not played out just on paper.
One thing that is not given the importance it should be is... the psychological component of competition and how individuals stack up in the ‘Heart’ factor. Does a team REALLY believe they can win. Coaches always give lip service to try to build up their team and say stuff like we can compete... but does the team listen respectfully and tune out or do they in their HEARTS believe and know that they really can win?
Passion and drive and the belief and will to win are the only way TO win. Many teams begin the game already actually believing that they will lose. But if you are on a Power Conference roster then you already have enough physical talent to compete with anybody. Sure, the guy across the field from you might have more physical ability overall. But will he ON THAT DAY? And can you raise your game as their opponent to meet and beat him on his talent and playing level?
There are countless examples over the years of an overmatched team leading a highly ranked team late in the game... and piddling it all away somehow at the end when they should have held on to win. Their lack of belief in themselves allowed the other team to steal the game. (And how and why did the ‘better’ team win at the end? They knew they could... and would. And so they did. Confidence. Not panicking. Business-like.)
Pure sports is unscripted and unpredictable. But success or failure does follow the strong general outline of whether or not you really believe in yourself and your team and your ability to win.
Excellent points on the unpredictable factors, which apply to each individual player.
This mirrors both my personal experience with cycling and what I’ve repeatedly heard of the elite pros on the World Tour. Every day is a different and you can never be sure how you’ll perform until you’re well into the ride. A world class pro, in say the Tour de France, may get decisively dropped by competitors when he finds he “doesn’t have legs today”. Often you just don’t know what you’ve got until you’re pressed hard.
Much of it certainly feels physiological but there’s certainly a big mental component too, your ability to push/suffer. Some days you’ve got it and some days you just don’t, a mystery. I’m sure the mental part applies to football on both the team and individual level . . . among three dozen guys! That’s how upsets occur and it’s why we play the games. Wild cards abound.
EIU lost yesterday to SEMO 35-28. Game was a case of the Panthers digging themselves a 2 TD deficit midway through the 4th quarter. While they did nearly come back, they had a hail mary knocked down at the end of the game.
With the loss, the Panthers fall to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big South/OVC Football Association. EIU returns to action Saturday when they will face Bryant University. Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM and the game will air on ESPN+.
With the loss, the Panthers fall to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big South/OVC Football Association. EIU returns to action Saturday when they will face Bryant University. Kickoff is set for 2:00 PM and the game will air on ESPN+.
On a side note, for those on here who follow recruiting, does anyone know if Illinois ever showed any interest in Geno Hess? He's essentially become the best RB statistically in OVC history while playing at SEMO and I was curious as to whether the Illini showed any interest since he went to high school at Peoria Central.
From what I can see CMU was his only FBS offer.