*Bret Bielema's team 3-1 after first month of the 2022 season...should be 4-0 but that Indiana loss is spilled milk under the bridge now....with many veteran players/excellent defense/favorable home schedule with games against mediocre to poor teams, Illini should finish season strong...take a look below at the rest of their opponents. (all predictions based on Illini staying relatively healthy rest of the season, so far so good on the injury front for this team.)
October 1 at Wisconsin (2-2)-yeah I know it's Ohio State on the road .....Badgers offensive line couldn't block anyone it was embarrassing how bad that unit played in a blowout loss to the Buckeyes Saturday night....one dimensional offense (running the ball/pass game an adventure).....have a hard time thinking that O-line can block the Illini defensive front way they are playing....Game outlook-Illinois has to finish their drives on offense better but even in Madison….Winnable game for the Orange and Blue.
October 8 Iowa (3-1)-Illinois hasn't beaten the Hawkeyes since 2008 in Champaign (what a delightful day and night that was)...If Bielema's team can't beat this Iowa squad...well it's never going to happen.....Like the Badgers have a hard time seeing this Hawkeye o-line being able to block the Illini defense consistently/Iowa QB able to make quick decisions with the ball vs. disguised coverages....Game outlook-Expect Illini win.
October 15 Minnesota (4-0)-Undefeated at this point whupped up on the stinkin' Spartans in East Lansing....’Row the boat’ still have not faced a decent defense and again don't know how good the Gophers o-line or defense really is?...Game outlook-Probable Illini win.
October 22 Illini bye week-like it three tough games and get a week off to heal up.
October 29 at Nebraska (1-3)-Will Nebraska keep playing hard for an interim staff?…Again Huskers have a bad o-line that is going to struggle to block the Illini on 'D'.... Game outlook-Toss up.
November 5 Michigan State (2-2)-Not good this year.....Spartans head coach Mel Tucker's 'Havoc' defense all about a top 3 tech defensive tackle/pass rusher up front, press man coverage behind it...well up front no 3 tech/pass rusher and defensive backs no good....add to it an offensive line that looked like it was playing in quicksand vs. the Golden Gophers (yes I am a stickler about offensive line play/engine of your team)...Game outlook-Expect Illini win.
November 12 Purdue (2-2)-Boilermakers wide receiver Charlie Jones vs. Illini cornerback Devon Witherspoon in man coverage for the NFL scouts reason to watch this one.....No magic for Purdue this year...Game outlook-Expect Illini win.
November 19 at Michigan (4-0)-Wolverines beat Maryland last weekend 34-27....game wasn't as close as final score....can score on the Michigan defense and offense is hit and miss....Harbaugh's team has 'finished' in the 4th quarter very well last couple of seasons....Game outlook-Illini competitive don't see a road win.
November 26 at Northwestern (1-3)-will be played in front of Northwestern players friends and family members….few thousand Illini fans that still can stomach going to the mistake by the lake Dyche Stadium....Game outlook-If Illini don't win this one should be an investigation.
*Coaching carousel....
Herm Edwards last week fired as Arizona State head coach....Lovie Smith as we all know not a fit at Illinois....both had success as NFL head coaches but in college both were.....struggle train on and off the field.....NFL head coach totally different than a college head coach....NFL teams especially now run by the team president/general manager/player personnel types have more input on players/team related decisions than head coaches and their staff....NFL head coaches coach the coaches/players have input on the draft/roster but in the end if you are not Belichick or Reid.....front office final say in who the coaches coach in that league...Example-Niners coaches wanted to draft Mac Jones quarterback out of Alabama, front office wanted Trey Lance quarterback out of North Dakota State....Niners drafted Lance....Bears coaching staff wasn't impressed by quarterback Mitch Trubisky but then Bears GM Ryan Pace was 'in love' with the North Carolina signal caller...we know who won that one....Smith/Edwards both had an idea to be 'CEO's' type of college head coaches but in the end, that's not a good idea....college head coach so much more involved than NFL, can't delegate as much and you don't have a front office in college above you making many of the most important team decisions.
College head coach job one majority of schools, figure out how to win at the school they are at with resources available to them….College head coaches also chief discipline officer…chief problem solver on and off the field…player personnel director/makes final call on all recruits offered….positive face of your program with boosters/community/media….hire/coach the assistant coaches…responsible for the actions of players/coaches/support staff cause head coach hired/approved/recruited them….responsible for on the field game decisions, and god forbid say anything dumb during the week/post game win or lose to the assembled media.....college head coach team president/player personnel director/general manager/game manager wrapped all in one person...un-relenting job….now with recruiting/NIL/transfer portal/keeping track of staff/current players…seemingly a 247/365 vocation power five level and below.
Story time.....
Back in the day had an AM appointment to talk to then Illini head football coach Ron Zook....show up, knock on his door, he waves me in...sit on the big sofa, Zook says, 'hey I have to do this now can you wait a few minutes?'....Sure....Zook then gets on his phone and after awhile figure out, he is calling his players telling them to change their ring tones, 'you have been told it's not what we want, change it'...called a couple of players to tell them to take down the porn chick on the header of that players Twitter/Facebook feed....thought to myself, 'why the fuck is Zook having to call?'....has support staff to keep track of that, clean it up...when he was finally finished....asked, 'why you doing that calling?' Haven't they already been told to change that stuff?'....Zook, 'oh yeah they have but when they don't and I call and get on their ass, it sticks more and usually gets taken care pretty quickly...Today everyone sees and hears everything so we have to be on them all the time.' Life of a head coach in college football.
Gimme some of that Kool-Aid!!! Indy here we come!!