- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,255,835
- Reaction score
- 59
May 29—***
The college football season kicks off in 100 days. To commemorate the significance of the moment, the always-thinking folks at came up with 10 lists of 10 college-football related topics.
The favorite list for the folks at the Smith Center has to be "10 potential first-time CFP teams."
There are plenty of familiar schools named. Jeff Brohm and Louisville are at No. 9. BYU checks in at No. 5, just behind Iowa State. Longtime power Miami is No. 3 (hard to believe the Hurricanes haven't ever qualified). Well, well, well, No. 2 is Illinois' most recent bowl opponent, South Carolina.
Which could only mean the logical choice for No. 1 is ... Illinois.
Of course, ESPN starts with the return of starting quarterback Luke Altmyer and the bulk of the offensive line.
The Illinois schedule is another plus. Sure, defending national champion Ohio State comes to town. But Illinois doesn't play Penn State, Oregon or Michigan.
Heather Dinich concludes the review with "if you're looking for this year's version of Indiana, the Illini could be it — dominant enough against a manageable schedule to earn an at-large bid without winning the Big Ten."
Winning the Big Ten is still the goal for Illinois. That is always the priority. But there is a path to the playoffs without it and ESPN is suggesting Illinois is on it.
Continue reading...
The college football season kicks off in 100 days. To commemorate the significance of the moment, the always-thinking folks at came up with 10 lists of 10 college-football related topics.
The favorite list for the folks at the Smith Center has to be "10 potential first-time CFP teams."
There are plenty of familiar schools named. Jeff Brohm and Louisville are at No. 9. BYU checks in at No. 5, just behind Iowa State. Longtime power Miami is No. 3 (hard to believe the Hurricanes haven't ever qualified). Well, well, well, No. 2 is Illinois' most recent bowl opponent, South Carolina.
Which could only mean the logical choice for No. 1 is ... Illinois.
Of course, ESPN starts with the return of starting quarterback Luke Altmyer and the bulk of the offensive line.
The Illinois schedule is another plus. Sure, defending national champion Ohio State comes to town. But Illinois doesn't play Penn State, Oregon or Michigan.
Heather Dinich concludes the review with "if you're looking for this year's version of Indiana, the Illini could be it — dominant enough against a manageable schedule to earn an at-large bid without winning the Big Ten."
Winning the Big Ten is still the goal for Illinois. That is always the priority. But there is a path to the playoffs without it and ESPN is suggesting Illinois is on it.
Continue reading...
