Under the Tim Beckman and Bill Cubit regimes, Illini football has gone 10-2 versus FCS and FBS non power five conference teams. That’s the good news. The bad news? They’re 4-24 against the power five. In other words, Illini football is not a bonafide Big Ten program right now, and hasn’t been for a half-decade. We crunched the numbers like a Wall Street type trying to utilize the Black-Sholes investing model to maximize returns on his options.
The numbers are brutal, even when you include Ron Zook’s last season to do some positive window-dressing and cherry-picking.
The first number is versus FCS and FBS Mid-Majors, the second number is versus the Power 5.
2011 3-0, 4-6
2012 2-1, 0-9
2013 3-0, 1-8
2014 3-1, 3-6
2015 2-0 0-1
As the dumpster fire in Chapel Hill this past Saturday taught us, weeks one and two versus Kent State and Western Illinois were essentially meaningless. This Saturday versus Middle Tennessee State? Also not brimming with relevance. This is what Illini football has become- a program beating the Central Wisconsins, Southwest Kentucky States and Middle Ohio States of the world, and nobody else.
If you’ve never heard of those schools I just said, it’s because none of them actually exist. It’s been a really ugly couple years of Illini football non-conference scheduling, but given the results can you blame them? Every September is filled with teams where you have to go look up the team nickname or mascot coming to Champaign. You can make the same jokes about Illinois’ schedule today that we did about Notre Dame in the 1990s and 2000s when ND played all the service academies every season.
But then again why Should Athletic Director Mike Thomas try and obtain more challenging opponents when Illini football is only a six point favorite at home over MTSU this week?
It’s a mid-major program right now, and it will continue to be until Illini football makes the right hire.
Illinois hasn’t gotten it right in this regard since John Mackovic, and that was in 1988. So take your time, keep Bill Cubit around as long as it takes to find the right guy and then throw a ton of money at him so that he actually takes the job.
In the words of Dr. Dre spend “Hella Swiss or Mozzarella, pockets swella, getting money like a bank teller” in order to rehab this train wreck of a program.
By the way, here’s the podcast of my segment talking Illini football on KOZN 1620 The Zone this morning:
The new Grange Grove looks lovely from what I’ve seen in pictures. The space deserves to have more visitors than it currently does. Unfortunately, Illinois has not played like a team that deserves a surge in attendance. They’re also not doing themselves any favors by who they schedule. When you looked at 2015 and saw Kent St, Western Illinois and Middle Tennessee State, or 2014 and you saw Texas State, Youngstown State and Western Kentucky, or 2013 and you saw Southern Illinois, Miami of Ohio etc. and well why should more people but tickets with opponents like these coming to town?
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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