88 Illini: #16-#13

I kind of want to go over the "this is all I've ever wanted" thing again. I think it's important. I saw the CBS promo last night for their "B1G Time" Saturday afternoon game and the fact that they lead off the promo with a shot of Grange Grove is... all I've ever wanted.

Here's the promo, and then I'll talk about it, and then I'll talk about players 16 through 13.

If you're scoring at home, in this ten second promo, that's Illinois, Ohio State, Indiana, Oregon, Iowa, Penn State, USC, Washington, and Michigan. No Wisconsin, no Michigan State, no UCLA, no Nebraska, no anyone else. Illinois fans and Indiana fans across the world are pinching themselves. It all feels like a dream.

I believe that Ohio State, Michigan, USC, and Penn State would all be on a list of college football blue bloods. I also believe that Oregon and Washington are immediately on the next tier. And then there's Iowa, Indiana, and ILLINOIS. One program that has won consistently for 25 years and two that... haven't.

While we were haven't-ing, I was still writing words here. When we lost to Iowa 63-0, I was writing words here. When we weren't even lined up on defense as Arizona State was running plays in 2012, I was writing words here. When Bill Cubit fired Tim Banks after he had a top-25 defense in 2015 and promoted his son to Offensive Coordinator (increasing his son's salary from $92,000 to $400,000) after that son, who now sells medical equipment, by the way, had presided over an offense ranked in the 100's.... I was writing words here.

And I feel like only someone who wrote hundreds of thousands of words about terrible football teams, staying fully engaged while 99% of the fanbase changed the channel, can say this with conviction:

This. Is all. I've ever. Wanted.

I just want to be on that promo. That's it. Being on that promo means we're relevant. Being on that promo means we're in the conversation. The majority of the new fans – and I welcome each and every new fan, by the way – are gearing up for either glee at a playoff appearance or disappointment at any other result while I'm laying in bed smoking a cigarette. I'm fully satisfied with this season before the season begins because we're relevant.

Only the prisoner knows the true joy of a park bench on a sunny day. And only the Illini football fan (OK, and maybe Indiana too) knows the true joy of being in that promo. We matter on the national scene for the first time since I was in high school. It's all I've ever wanted and I'll never ask for anything else.

Go team. Beat Western Illinois.

16. Kaleb Patterson

Cornerback
Uniform number: #1
Year in school: Junior (2 years to play 2)
Height: 6'-1" – Weight: 190 lbs.
Hometown: Jackson, Mississippi
High School: Terry HS
Transfer from: Pearl River Community College

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