I see at least 7 wins. EIU, LL, Minne, IU, Iowa, WM and NW. Michigan on the road is winnable (w/o Tyrelle Pryor), Wisconsin could have a down year and we gave them a good run 2 years ago, and OSU well we have had the #. Mizzou will be a shootout as it will all depend on how fast the kids develop (RB especially). PSU will be tough, but they should be very beatable (once again hopefully w/o Pryor). Tough schedule, but all the tough games are spaced out. If we can steal a couple on the road and defend our turf then 11-2 is not out of the question.
i agree that we can get those 7 wins. we do have 5 games that could go either way. playing at penn state, wisconsin, michigan and against mizzou in st. lou are 4 very tough road games for any team. and osu will have a lot of extra motivation after last year's beat down.
of course, illinois is still not a lock to beat any of the teams on the schedule in my opinion. we have a ways to go before we expect "W's". however, I think another 9 win regular season would be a great showing for the Illini.
as for the running back situation, i think dufrene and pollard with do fine. big brother mendenhall looked solid against minnesota in his few carries. also, i'd like to see benn and gamble used creatively to go in motion and get some carries. the illini also have eddie that they can do some creative stuff with by using him and juice at the same time. should be an extremely fun year for the illini
p.s. let's prepare for the idiots who will call for zook's head when the illini have a season that is not as good as last year's season.
I'd say an 8 win season, very probable, and I'd be extatic to have that and another bowl bid. This isn't going to be another magical Rose Bowl type season, but it's going to show who's going to step up in place of some of the missing pieces. Who can carry the load for 2009.
But with the way Zooks recruiting these days, I wouldn't be suprised if we're in the bcs for the next 5 years.
The PSU-ILL game will be an important game for both teams. I look for it to be a good one. This year ILL has a tough road schedule but anything is possible. Zook has done a great job. There should be no reason that Illinois does not make a good bowlgame. I personally think 9-3 is very probable settingup for a very good 2009.
Great to hear. I think the Illini will have plenty of running options with Juice, Dufrene, Pollard, Benn, McGee and the incoming players.
This is from scout.com...."Ford's running back position became temporarily shorter on able bodies as Mikel LeShoure withdrew to the Strength & Conditioning staff halfway through practice with a minor injury. In his absence, Darius Purcell was given some opportunities at running back. Having just moved to fullback yesterday, his head was spinning with all the changes. But he showed good hands "
Jason Ford was in attendance at the practice yesterday, which is why his name was mentioned.
