Latest
Illini Power Rankings: It Is Happening Rather Quickly
About a decade ago, I went back to Champaign to speak to a journalism class at the University, ostensibly to proffer wisdom but, in reality, to attempt to encourage gaggles of teenagers to continue to pursue a field that is endlessly fascinating and deeply rewarding but also is unsteady and
Everything In Its Right Place
Here's how these things go. I happen upon the trailer for the Peacock show "The Day Of The Jackal" a few weeks ago. I don't remember where I saw it (an ad on YouTube, maybe, where I stuck around and didn't hit
From The Stands - Wrigley Field
It's really difficult to put it all into words. Fourth-youngest team in the P4, only nine scholarship seniors, and NINE AND THREE. Fifth place all alone in the Big Ten, only one game behind Ohio State, and perhaps a fumble at the Minnesota 16 away from the committee
SOC - Northwestern
It's the scores from today that make me nervous for tomorrow. I wasn't nervous all week, but the Rivalry Week will Rivalry Week and suddenly I'm nervous again. Let me just go through a few scores from yesterday and today so that you see
Those Were The Days - Northwestern
Detlef has been writing these TWTD posts since 2003 or 2004. I’ve been in charge of publishing them since 2013. And I’ve probably forgotten to publish the Northwestern TWTD at least three times. There’s something about the day after Thanksgiving that doesn’t feel like a college
Ham For Thanksgiving
Alabama. Arkansas. Tennessee. Missouri. Duke. Five top-50 (ish) non conference opponents.
I wrote in the schedule post section of our pre-season preview that I thought these five games represented the toughest group of power conference opponents we’ve seen on the schedule in Brad Underwood’s eight year tenure at
Craig Has The Scout - Northwestern 2024
So Much Fun
I just want to make sure that everyone is leaning into 8-3. Appreciating what it means. Pondering how we got here and where we're going. These are the days, people.
Take Mississippi State. 23 months ago we played an 8-4 Mississippi State team in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Today,
Giving Thanks
I have two friends from Arkansas (Hot Springs, not Little Rock) who say the word Thanksgiving wrong. They say THANKSgiving, not thanksGIVing. I never let it slide and always correct them. "Where are you going for THANKSgiving this year?" "I don't know about THANKSgiving, but
Postscript, Rutgers
Got Better
Today was truly one for the 17. It was a day in which the biggest cheer at an Illini basketball team - was for the Illini football team. Pat Bryant’s game winning touchdown catch and run against Rutgers was played on the SFC jumbotron at the under 16 media
Church
The play is called "Church." The entire point behind the play call: catch the ball behind the sticks, take a knee, the clock stops with the first down, and then spike the ball as soon as it's set.
It's the play they have in
From The Stands - Rutgers 2024
What are the words I'm supposed to type? We lost that game eleven times and STILL refused to lose it. Penalties the last three games: 7. Penalties today: 11, including backbreaker after backbreaker, and despite all of that we WON.
The last 90 minutes since I recorded this