[damaniac]

I was going to say we should do conference threads instead, ie Big Ten thread, since this could get cluttered come fall with several team threads, not to mention the NFL, baseball playoffs, etc. So if anyone has thoughts on that, please share.

That said, I'm not scared of Illinois. I understand they will be better than last year. But their talent it still very young, they are still coached by Zook, and their QB was god-awful last year. I mean, 39% completion percentage? He only averaged 3.7 per rush, too (counts sacks). Hey, they could turn out to be good/scary, but so could Morelli, and I'm not going to start worrying just because something might happen, without more.

The lack of good QB's is going to be our saving grace. Hopefully Donovan Bailey is starting over Johnny Sears sooner rather than later, as I'd hate to lose a game before Lloyd pulls the upperclassman.

Lastly, pray to God/Jesus/Allah that Lloyd and DeBord don't go into a shell. You can't score too many points, guys. This is my fear, that we are not optimally designed for the coaching. We tend to coach like we have a great D and good running game, whether we do or not. The running game should be there, the D, not so much. We'll need points and lots of 'em, and I'm not confident at all that we'll maximize the potential here.

Still, 10-2 is the bare minimum for success (and we have to beat ND and OSU).