'Lucas isn't dirty.....Lucas is annoying, and I mean that as a compliment.'

Illini football picked 4th....

*Illini football picked fourth in pre-season conference poll…

-Cleveland Plain-Dealer’s media poll picking Big Ten football race…top six.

1. Penn State 11 first place votes from the media

2. Ohio State 10 first place votes

3. Oregon 2 first place votes

4. Illinois

5. Michigan 1 first place vote

6. Indiana….Michigan probably too high for me/Penn State-Ohio State interchangeable…..rest look good…ten years ago you told Hoosier/Illini football fans in 2025 both programs would be in the top half of the B1G conference pre-season….few would believe it.

*Yeah that legislation for NIL is going to work…

-Weeks into the revenue sharing era and cautious optimism around CFB's cap has been replaced by a little more skepticism. "We’ve got to decide if we want MLB or we want the NFL. MLB has some teams with $250 million [payrolls] and some playing Moneyball"-ACC commish Jimmy Phillips (Courtesy Sports Illustrated)....HA HA HA...what did anyone think was going to happen? C'mon...Big Ten coaches off the record bitching about all the 'dark cash' already being given to players beyond their NIL agreement….coaches and boosters can’t help themselves we know that….Presidential executive order won’t do shit to stop under the table payments.😓

*Know when to hold em’….know when to fold them….

-My iron-clad 😂Big Ten over/under in wins predictions.

Illinois 8.5 wins….one book had Bielema’s program 7.5 over/under went heavy over on that one…think it’s a nine-win season so over on Illinois.

Northwestern 4.5 wins….for some reason have a good feeling on the Cats’ now they have settled on SMU transfer quarterback Stone…with their schedule/decent defense….take the over.

Indiana 8.5 wins…again with a relatively easy conference slate/three crappy non-conference opponents…take the over.

Minnesota 6.5 wins….P.J. Fleck’s team always finds a way it seems….take the over

USC 8.5 wins….couple of B1G staffs including Illinois’ ‘think’ Trojans will be one of the better teams in the conference…OK will bite…took the over.

Maryland 4.5 wins….what about my man Locksley at Big Ten media days? New glasses look good Lox….’thinking man’s head coach’…yeah right….typical Locksley gives all the reasons why his team had a losing record last year….then ‘I accept responsibility’ after blaming everyone else…cracks me up a certain Champaign News Gazette sports reporter ‘thinks’ he and Lox are buddies…runs up to him each time they are together…if he only knew…4.5 wins juiced to the over….even though Terps shitty team…think with the schedule…..Terps blindly win five…..did like Lox’s kissing his new AD’s ass….AD’s first big hire will be replacing head coach after 2025 season…..just my opinion….like Illini fans with Zook….Terp fans have had enough of Lox.

*Odds and ends…

-"Lucas isn't dirty.....Lucas is annoying, and I mean that as a compliment…..He gets under people's skin by playing the game the way it's supposed to be played." former Illini head coach Bill Self on coaching Lucas Johnson…..Johnson’s daughter Liv recently offered a scholarship by Shauna Green’s Illini basketball program.

Lucas’ daughter 6-foot-1 2029 guard out of Mundelein (Ill.) Carmel High School….Iowa, DePaul, Oklahoma and Minnesota some of the schools that have offered her….Hawkeyes selling her on ‘being the next Caitlin Clark’…please….Clark once in a lifetime player and Iowa lucky she grew up on the west side of Des Moines….don’t fall for the hype young lady.

Damn just seems like the other night was watching Lucas and Maine West playing Galesburg state tourney in Champaign…course Johnson annoying the shit out of Silver Streak/future Hawkeye Joey Range that night….Lucas’ older brother Brian one of the best walk-on’s to earn a scholarship playing hoops at Illinois.

-Former Illini defender Jihad Ward signed this week with the Tennessee Titans….will be his 10th season in the NFL.

-Former Bloomington (Indiana) Herald Times sports editor Bob Hammel passed recently….He was 88….Hammel famous for being one of Bobby Knight’s best friends/Hoosier/Knight apologist….80’s after a post-game blowup between Lou Henson and Knight…Sweet Lou sick of Knight’s shit was ready to physically go after the Hoosier bully as they passed in the hallway….after being separated….Knight sent Hammel over to try to settle down Henson…smooth the situation over cause Lou did have respect for the reporter….not that evening….Illini head coach told him where he could stick it…Henson never had another issue with Knight after standing up for himself/his program

-Cautious optimism early this summer getting point guard Mihailo Petrovic and forward David Mirkovic on-campus has turned to ‘not sure where we are at’ with the pair from a staff member recent Illini hoop Cubs game outing….visa/transcript issues depending on who you talk to in regard to the pair and Illinois.

-Media pre-season polls in for the Illini’s non-conference foes…..Western Illinois picked 5th in the 10-team OVC-Big South….Duke picked 6th in the 18-team ACC….Western Michigan picked 7th in the 14-team MAC.

*Sad news…

-Writing this way too much….former Illini linebacker Dwayne Pugh (1983-1985) passed away recently….don’t have the cause of death….Pugh a former Washington (D.C) Woodson prep spent a year at Fork Union (VA.) Military Academy signing with Mike White’s program class of 1982….versatile played safety/linebacker and returned kicks during his time in Champaign….had a short stint with the Redskins…rest in peace #18

-Another Illini Mike Scully recovering from a serious surgery….asked to share below by many of his teammates.