'Kansas was the only job Self would have left us for.'

Don't worry it's football related...

*Bill Self returns to Champaign....

-Great!.....Last Sunday former Illini head basketball coach Bill Self returned to Assembly Hall first time in twenty years....His Kansas Jayhawks played the Fighting Illini in an exhibition game for charity.....cracked me up build up to the game Illini Orange Kool-Aid drinkers saying shit like, 'Kansas only job Self would have left us for'....bunch of fuckin' idiots that say/believe that....end of 2003 Self done with Illinois....especially done with the athletic director Ron Guenther....Moe Dampeer recruiting story another example of the then head coaches frustration with his surroundings/knew it was time to go.

Illini football win the 2001 Big Ten championship/berth in the Sugar Bowl...lose MVP QB Kurt Kittner off that team…have plenty of returning talent 2002/ranked/high hopes going into season....end up 5-7 record.....recruiting momentum from the championship season gone....had a commitment from the top in-state prospect five-star guard Martin O'Donnell out of Downers Grove South....had lost a commitment from three-star Bolingbrook running back A.J. Johnson (signed with Iowa)....other top in-state priorities like Buffalo Grove quarterback/safety Tommy Zbikowski(Notre Dame)….Wheaton North tackle Akim Millington (early Illini lean/signed with Oklahoma) and Oak Lawn Richards tackle Mike Jones (Iowa) all going elsewhere....Illini staff 'had' to get Decatur MacArthur four-star defensive tackle Moe Dampeer in the fold...since an 8th grader Turner's staff had been recruiting the local blue-chipper....four-star's father a high school referee who Illinois always invited up to ref their scrimmages....going into the 2002 Illini 'felt very good' about getting Moe then...bad season....Dampeer lost a lot of enthusiasm to play in Champaign.

January 2003 few weeks till football national signing day....Dampeer had visited Ohio State and Oklahoma with the Sooners being his leader....Turner's staff one last 'Hail Mary' inviting Dampeer family to Champaign for an Illini hoops game....Moe big hoops fan felt he was as good in hoops as football...previously agreed upon by Self.....hooper Dee Brown would come out after the game to help recruit Moe.....background: Mole's mom fine with wherever Moe went 'decision up to him'....Dampeer's father supposedly wanted his son close to home felt Moe still immature and if he went far away didn't have his family support system around...wouldn't live up to his potential (Father was correct)....family excited to have Dee Brown talk up/some sense into young man about staying 'home'.

Game over family/Illini staff talking waiting for Brown to come out...and waiting...finally athletic department official went back to check on Brown....was told 'Dee won't be coming out' 'team meeting can't go'....Turner hearing this didn't explode till the Dampeer's left then vowed 'never to help' Self or the basketball program again.

What happened?....few days before Self happy to send Brown out to talk to the Dampeer's...after game, Self 'fuck that we ain't helping anyone anymore'...between agreeing to Brown appearance and the game...Self had a meeting with an Illini compliance officer......hoops staff 'thought' meeting would be a review of new NCAA recruiting guidelines...instead compliance asking pointed questions about the recruitment of Illini commitment/four-star 2003 forward Charlie Villanueva....you remember 'Charlie's Angel's?' Illini volunteer recruiters in charge of his recruitment/asking about the girls....questions about other rumors going round about Villanueva's recruitment...head coach felt athletic director Guenther behind that day's cross examination....reportedly Self said in frustration after meeting 'those fuckers (athletic department) don't want us to win'.

Compliance meeting wasn't the final straw for Self just one of many things that kept pissing him off....head coach felt he and his staff not appreciated enough...athletic department nickel and dimed program on everything from office supplies to recruiting expenses to assistant coach salaries....'Athletic director cares more about football than hoops'......mentioned above felt compliance was always up his ass about recruiting...Self's wife wasn't much happy having to live in Champaign either and the AD knew that...broken trust didn't think AD 'had his back' anymore.....laundry list of bitches and moan....'helping out football' where Self decided to draw the line....no show Brown.

Remember after 2002 season Self 'flirted' with taking the Arkansas job......by 2003 he couldn't get out of Champaign fast enough...if not to Kansas....He would have left for his alma mater Oklahoma State or Kentucky when that job came open...worse comes to worse left for the NBA...so next time message board warriors try to pass off the 'Only job Self would have left us for is Kansas'....call bullshit on that opinion.

Dampeer did sign with Oklahoma....came to camp freshman year out of shape never seemed to catch up left program after two years....wanted to transfer to Illinois to play for Ron Zook but never got the grades to get into school...ended up playing a couple of seasons at D-2 Northwest Missouri State.

*This week's Big Ten games...

-Illinois (3-5) (+4) at Minnesota (5-3) 2:30 PM Central kickoff TV: Big Ten Network

1977 Minnesota fullback Kent Kitzmann ran the ball 57 times (Big Ten record for carries) gained 266 yards leading his team to a 21-0 victory over Illinois in Champaign......with a limited passing game Gophers going to try to run the ball that many times or more vs. the Illini 'D' this week....sadly likely a winning formula....Goofs will beat up Bielema's team both sides of the line.....Row the boat and the points.

-Ohio State (8-0) at Rutgers (6-2) (+18.5) 11 AM kickoff

Scarlet Knights play good 'D'....Ohio State 'D' will eat up Rutgers offense....Buckeyes and the points.

-Wisconsin (5-3)at Indiana (2-6) (+10) 11 AM kickoff

Badgers on the road starting a backup QB/top running back Allen likely out....Hoosiers still playing hard....Indiana and the points.

-Nebraska (5-3) at Michigan State (2-6) (+3.5) 11 AM kickoff

Matt Rhule's Huskers not much good....that being said....Nebraska wins by screwing up less than their opponents....Spartans keep getting worse and worse weekly playing like they can't wait to get back on the bus to go home.....Huskers and the points.

-Iowa (6-2) vs. Northwestern (4-4) (+6) Wrigley Field 2:30 PM kickoff

Over/under hovering around 30 points lowest power five O/U 'in betting history'....leaked out then Hawkeyes officially announce offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz won't be back next season but still gets to call plays rest of year.....whole lot of bizarre right now in Iowa City....'Mildcats' playing like 'Wildcats'.....Northwestern and the points/over.

-Penn State (7-1) at Maryland (5-3) (+12) 2:30 PM kickoff

For all the talent Nittany Lions have still haven't put together a 'total' game both sides of the ball vs. any type of decent competition.....Terps coming off bad bad losses to Illinois/Northwestern.....Penn State and the points.

-Purdue (2-6) (+32) at Michigan (8-0) 6:30 PM kickoff TV: NBC

Networks that paid all the money for Big Ten football can't wait for the PAC-12 schools to arrive so they don't have to put crap like this game prime time...nothing much to say about this one so will tell a Jim Harbaugh story....know of three different players recruited in the mid-80's tell the same story about visiting Michigan then.....all told by their Michigan hosts to avoid Harbaugh (starting quarterback at the time) cause 'We call Harbaugh bitch cause everything that happens on visits he tells Bo' 'Bitch' short for 'Bo's bitch'.....Boilermakers so banged up...on the o-line Ryan Walters team might be starting two guys last year starting at NAIA schools and a freshman walk-on...yikes....Wolverines can name the score.

*Illini thoughts....

-Head coach Bret Bielema and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Barry Lunney Jr. in Starkville (MS.) last Friday night watching 2024 Illini QB commitment Trey Petty play....hometown Mississippi State continues to make a push for Petty....Bulldogs head coach/staff's future not on firm ground either......my information pair assured Petty Lunney Jr. isn't going anywhere will be his coach next season at Illinois...yeah I know what else are they supposed to say? kid/his family believed them lying at this point not good idea FWIW....Petty chance to be a difference-maker at quarterback.

-For those Illini fans still interested....don't expect football to NIL out of their problems off-season...committed to developing high school/junior college talent and picking up transfers who a member of the staff has a previous relationship with...quite frankly top transfer portals players are going to the power programs majority of time no matter how much NIL is offered (Illini ain't ever going to be the U)....Illinois isn't anywhere close to a 'power' program...so if hoping for an influx of portal difference makers....think you will be disappointed.

-Seemed to get lost in the news of Dick Butkus passing...former Illini quarterback Shane Lamb (84-86) passed away from an un-disclosed illness earlier this fall...Lamb owned an electrical company outside of San Diego....met him a few times good dude proud of his time playing for the Fighting Illini.