This is probably the most important football game the Illini have played since I came down here in the fall of 2004. Go Illini!

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Fire Phil Emery

We really need an NCAA section.

is the game on radio?

ILL

14-3 late in the first quarter.

Cats have some scratch in them as well

13-7 middle of the second quarter.

Wha happen?

On cbssportsline it was 4th and 12 at the illini 22. They said the qb rushed for 12 and fumbled with psu recovering. isn't that a first down.

go illini.

It's on 560 AM Dolphin.

Illinois intercepted it on 3rd and 18 with 30 seconds left for the Illini victory.

Alleged college football experts Teddy Greenstein and J Hood can go fuck themselves with their derisive comments about the Illini when they each picked Penn State this week! I-L-L!

Maybe premature, but- Illinois might be the second best team in the Big Ten. Wisconsin can't seem to stop the run, which would be especially bad against Illinois. I have no faith in Michigan, especially on the road. Illinois just beat Penn State and Indiana. Iowa has taken a couple steps backwards. Minnesota sucks. Michigan State and Purdue both seem like mid-tier teams, although Purdue letting ND back into that game should make Rick nervous. Ohio State seems like the best team by a wide margin, but after that, it may be anybody's guess.

So why not the Illini? They get Wisconsin at home next week, which is a big game obviously (I'll be there ) but certainly winable. Then they go to Iowa, which is a game they should win. Then they face Michigan at home. If they win those three, they've only got one difficult game remaining on the schedule at Ohio State. That could game could determine the Big Ten champions.

When the season began, I thought that the Illini had a decent chance of winning 6 games and sneaking into a bowl. All of a sudden, 10-2 or 9-3 is a very realistic possibility. I'm itching to see some meaningful football on campus for the first time in my student career.

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Fire Phil Emery

Listen, I like the Champaign cool-aid as much as the next guy, but let's put this in perspective. A lower level bowl game would make me happy this year. Anything higher would be a greatly unexpected surprise.

There are still at least five Big Ten teams better than the Illini right now. But that's o.k.--if things progress from here, they may work their way into the upper echelon by next year. Again, one step at a time here.

There are not 5 teams definitely better than them in the Big 10. We will know more after next week's game, but if they win that one I dont see how anything Irish said doesnt seem logical. And the best part about it is we are still young and are only going to get better. I feel like if that Missouri game was this week instead of week 1 we would win. They made alot of dumb mistakes that game and Juice got hurt.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Big-10 teams that the Illini are almost certainly better than:

Indiana
Penn State
Iowa
Northwestern
Minnesota

Teams which it is debatable, but they'll get a chance to play:

Michigan
Wisconsin

Teams they won't be able to play, but are probably on about the same level:

Purdue
Michigan State

Teams they are almost certainly not better than:

Ohio State

Given what we've seen, I think that the Illini are better than Michigan, without a doubt. Purdue and MSU are toss-ups, but that ND/Purdue game was a little too close for comfort if you ask me. As for MSU and Wisconsin, we'll learn a whole lot next week (in what is a very winable game- Wisconsin hasn't looked really good once this year.) If Illinois wins next week, they are indisputably the second best team in the Big 10, right? And if they lose next week but beat Michigan, ther're in the top 3 or 4, right? Number 6 seems way, way too low.

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Fire Phil Emery

It's true

Not to be a Purdue homer but the Illini are not as good as the Boilermakers. I'm impressed by the Illini but the Purdue games final scores have been misleading. Purdue has been leading by 3+ touchdowns in every game in the second half this year. Teams have found a way to pull in closer in the end but besides ND getting within 7, the team hasn't been challenged in the fourth quarter.

If you watched the ND game, you saw that ND converted four straight fourth down plays. Two of them were amazing catches. Notre Dame was like a gambler at a blackjack table just going double or nothing. I give them credit and it got closer than I wanted.

If you know anything about the Purdue-ND games it is that Notre Dame has found a way to win games against Purdue that they shouldn't have. I don't remember the exact statistic, but in 8 of the last 11 Purdue-ND games, the team who gained more yards lost the game.

Purdue is not going to go undefeated in the Big Ten, but they are going to be in the hunt for the Big Ten championship. Illinois is an up and coming team but Penn State is not the juggernaut that they were built up to be. Morelli is the weak link and QB play is huge in college football.

Purdue's time will come. They will beat Ohio State next week. Mark it down.
They will then lose to Michigan and Penn State and another team they should beat to finish 9-3.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Are they ever supposed to lose?

_________________
Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

What?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Ok, rereading it, I get that you are referencing "team they should beat". You can swap that out for a team they are favored against.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!