Iowa was exactly who we thought they were yesterday, and unfortunately your Illinois Fighting Illini could not overcame the muck. Having to sit through any game involving the Hawkeyes should automatically grant you a treat, but alas, Illini Nation came away from last night with nothing. Now Bret Bielema's squad will have to gain bowl eligibility in the final game, at home … [Read more...] about Illinois Fighting Illini Bowl Game Projections (Updated 11-20-23)
illini bowl game
Illinois Fighting Illini: Bowl Game History Part 2/2: Major Bowls
Good morning college football and Illinois Fighting Illini fans. Just four more days until the Reliaquest Bowl kicks off in Tampa! This will be Illinois' 20th bowl appearance, and they are 8-11 in their previous 19 postseason games. We'll run all this down for you, in two parts, starting with the minor bowls, which we defined as non-traditionally on New Year's Day and/or … [Read more...] about Illinois Fighting Illini: Bowl Game History Part 2/2: Major Bowls
Illinois Fighting Illini: Bowl Game History Part 1/2: Minor Bowls
Good morning college football and Illinois Fighting Illini fans. Just four more days until the Reliaquest Bowl kicks off in Tampa! This will be Illinois' 20th bowl appearance, and they are 8-11 in their previous 19 postseason games. We'll run all this down for you, in two parts, starting here with the minor bowls, which we defined as non-traditionally on New Year's Day … [Read more...] about Illinois Fighting Illini: Bowl Game History Part 1/2: Minor Bowls
UCLA vs. Illinois: Brutally Honest Fight Hunger Bowl Preview
Ever since the bowl matchups were announced, everyone has picked on the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl for being the the worst matchup of them all. The New Year’s Eve game features not one but both teams playing under interim coaches because the regular head coach was recently canned. And both teams made dubious "history" on the way here. Illinois comes in riding a six-game losing … [Read more...] about UCLA vs. Illinois: Brutally Honest Fight Hunger Bowl Preview
Illini in San Francisco Bowl vs. UCLA Bruins
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl will be at 2:30 pm CT on Dec. 31 on ESPN.The destination- picturesque AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants of MLB. They will face a 6-7 UCLA team. That's four bowls in a row the Illini have faced an opponent in their home state. (Baylor in the Texas Bowl last year, USC in the Rose Bowl '07, LSU in the Sugar Bowl '01). Illinois has … [Read more...] about Illini in San Francisco Bowl vs. UCLA Bruins
Ron Zook Fired! Illini A.D. Addresses Media (Video)
You look at the pic above and think "what does a celebration from the Illinois Fighting Illini 2004-05 college basketball season have to do with this?" The long overdue firing of the school's college football coach Ron Zook. Well, when I searched for google images of "Illini celebration," it was all hoops images. (which says something about why the Zooker is being … [Read more...] about Ron Zook Fired! Illini A.D. Addresses Media (Video)
Which Illini Coordinator Gets Ron Zook’s (Interim) Job?
In 2009, a very underachieving Illini football team finished 3-9. Picked as high as third by some Big Ten and college football pundits, the horrible record was nothing short of a catastrophe for the resume of Ron Zook and the Illinois program. Or so I thought. Logic dictated then Illinois Athletic Director Ron Guenther can Zook then and there. Unfortunately, Guenther had … [Read more...] about Which Illini Coordinator Gets Ron Zook’s (Interim) Job?
5 Biggest Reasons Illinois Should Fire Ron Zook Next Sunday
The main story surrounding the Illinois Fighting Illini losing 28-17 to the Wisconsin Badgers today is the fact that Illini Head Coach Ron Zook is a "dead man walking." New Illinois Athletic Director Mike Thomas said he won't make a decision until after the season is over, so I wouldn't expect to hear anything concrete until after the season's final game- next Saturday at … [Read more...] about 5 Biggest Reasons Illinois Should Fire Ron Zook Next Sunday
Ron Zook Delivers Jim Mora Style Mini-Rant (Video)
Last week the Illini football team imploded and lost at home to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, one of the worst teams in recent Big Ten football history. Words can't really express a college football let-down of this proportion, although we tried to do so here. Now a really promising 5-3 team that many pundits believed would finish 8-4 or even 9-3 doesn't even look like a … [Read more...] about Ron Zook Delivers Jim Mora Style Mini-Rant (Video)