I know it's only April but it's never to early to have high hopes for your team. The fact is that I love college football and would love to hear what others are thinking of their team.

On my Purdue Boilermakers. They will have the best offense in the Big Ten next year. They will get a ton of yards. They racked up yards in bunches last year but couldn't turn it into points. I will be disappointed if they don't score 35 points a game. They have more offensive talent than they ever had with Orton or Brees.

The defense was terrible last year. They lose Anthony Spencer who was a beast last year, but almost everyone else comes back. The defense will be alright but we'll have to outscore most teams. There are some confirmed and some rumored high impact junior college players coming in.

They had some trouble with the law this spring. Our most physically gifted reciever was stabbed and the same night his teammate picked up a DUI.

Joe Tiller has done an amazing job putting the program on the map but I think he'll be gone after this season if they don't go at least 8-4. I also wouldn't be shocked to see him retire after this year.

They won't win the Big Ten but they'll be in the mix for a new year's day bowl. They will be a fun team to watch, which they weren't this year.

Hopefully I am not the only college football fan here.

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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!

You're not.

I don't have an in depth on the Illini because there are just too many question marks. I think they have a ton of raw talent. This will be the year that Ron Zook needs to answer the question of whether he knows how to coach.

Spring practice stories that I've read say good things about the young talent but they always do. I can't remember ever reading a spring practice story where the beat writer said "this team has no hope".

If Juice can improve on his accuracy and exhibit a bit (re: alot) more touch on the short and intermediate passes.
If the receivers can catch the ball.
If the young defensive secondary can start to gel.
If J.Leman is healthy.
If Mendenhall can learn how to hang onto the ball.

Do you see a theme here?

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You know me like that.

I was at the Purdue-UofI game last year and Juice is amazingly fast. Reminded me of a young Antwaun Randle El. If he could develop even decent accuracy he could be really good. He will be helped out by Aurellious Benn and all the great athletes that Ron Zook has brought in.

I personally don't see it as a bad thing that Purdue avoids the Illini the next 2 years. I don't know if Ron Zook will work out, but if he doesn't, the person who replaces him will have an insane amount of talent to work with.

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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!

There's no if on whether or not Zook is a boob. Maybe he can out-recruit his boobishness, but I doubt it.
I remember a play last year when they had a seven yard completion on first down and also had a 5 yard defensive penalty. What so you think the Boob did?
Well he declined the penalty. I guess in his world 2 yards is better than an extra down. He is a boob, plain and simple.
I'll read through the Loren Tate archives and give my report through rose colored glasses.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

Well...
I think ND will actually win a bowl game this year. They won't be a great team by any standards. If they go 9-3 with losses to Michigan (close), USC (by 10 or less), and one of the other Big Tens (field goal), I won't be surprised. I will be unhappy though.

I suspect the Irish run game to be a focus until one of the young QB's becomes a tandem with one of the young Receivers.

I hope that the pass defense will be better. I suspect it will be, but the run defense will be suspect at best.

If the Irish D can manage "third-and-long" I believe 9-3 is realistic.

Hopefully they'll finish ranked around 15 pre-bowl and they'll play a big 12 team or some shit. Win by 10 maybe and end up ranked 9 or 11.

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@audioidkid

I go with the Mark Tupper weblog for my updates on whether our (yes, I am speaking on behalf of Illini fans - I'm not a big fan of the term "Illini Nation") power forward is transferring over to play tight end. But his shades are pretty tinted as well.

I think Benn is going to be a stud. I think Zook is a substandard tactician and requires strong assistance on the sidelines. But, the man can get big time recruits to play in a cornfield. I do think he can out recruit his ineptness. I liken him to the Bill Self of football coaches. I can accept a team that consistently wins 8 games with an occassional run at 10 over what they've been doing.

The question will be whether he can consistently get 10 win talent so he can botch it to 8 wins every year. I think he might be able to. But, then people will realize it and he'll get fired anyway.

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You know me like that.

I haven't read thoroughly on ND but from what I've seen I think that is pretty optimistic. Their D has been atrocious and now they are going to have inexperience, severely inexperienced, players at the skill positions offensively.

I'll be surprised if they don't struggle. I don't know about their schedule. Maybe they are cupcakes but their tough games are usually early in the year before the conferences start. So, they could be in tough shape early in the year.

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You know me like that.

it's kinda ugly early...but get's cakey at the end.
I'm not suggesting that all 9 wins will be pretty...maybe 6 of them will be.

Sept. 1 GEORGIA TECH
Sept. 8 at Penn State
Sept. 15 at Michigan
Sept. 22 MICHIGAN STATE
Sept. 29 at Purdue
Oct. 6 at UCLA
Oct. 13 BOSTON COLLEGE
Oct. 20 USC
Nov. 3 NAVY
Nov. 10 AIR FORCE
Nov. 17 DUKE
Nov. 24 at Stanford

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@audioidkid

I will have to make Ron Zook's reservations for his flight to Boobdom. I attended the Ohio State game last year and watching this guy call option plays on 3rd and 7, 3rd and 10, while only trailing by 2 touchdowns, with his defense playing heroically, only confirmed his x's and o's deficiency. That being said, text on Zooker!

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Back off, Warchild. Seriously.

It's a tough situation for Tiller I think. I started going to games when Akers was the coach so I know how bad it was before Tiller came to Purdue. He has done tremendous things at Purdue but I also wonder why he can't break through like others have. He still hasn't won 10 games in a season. Even Glen Mason did that, albeit with 4 cupcakes in his preseason schedule. The way Purdue choked away games in the 2002, 2003, and 2004 seasons points to coaching in my opinion. Plus, they always seem woefully unprepared for bowl games.

I see them making strides this year but they will have to outscore everyone they play.

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Back off, Warchild. Seriously.

Ron Zook is playing checkers, while everyone else is playing chess.

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We all have private ails. The troublemakers are they who need public cures for their private ails.- Eric Hoffer

And next year the BCS will be crowning his ass.

Book it.

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You know me like that.

USC will be the 2008 BCS champion.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

That's not exactly a leap there...

ND will be lucky to get beyond barely bowl eligible. Cupcakey? Puhlease. Little Sisters of the Poor was booked? Can't talk The Coast Guard Academy into stepping up to D-I? This is the year where it becomes painfully obvious that ND is an average Big Ten team at best.

Whew... living just up the road from South Bend sometimes gets to me.

That being said... The Illini have a chance to step it up this year. PROVIDED... Juice can be effective. Agreed that Zook is hampered intellectually, especially on the offensive side of the ball. But he sure can recruit. Find him a decent OC (Locksley can recruit, but not sure he could coach his way out of a wet paper sack) and perhaps the Illini could step out of the cellar. No bowl game this year and the knives might start to come out.

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I didn't know they stacked shit that high.