Illini's demise shouldn't come as such a surprise
To honor Mike Downey, one of the finest gentlemen and writers this business has ever known, we acknowledge his abrupt and unfortunate departure from the Chicago Tribune by ripping off his Saturday bit.
With apologies in advance for the lack of wit and cogent thought associated with Downey's Eleven - behold, the Willhite Eleven:
1. I think everyone should generally accept Illinois football's dip from 9-3 to 5-6 (going into today's game at Northwestern) as one of those things that happens in sports.
But I do have one big second-guess for coach Ron Zook.
During his first three years at Illinois, even after the biggest victories, he repeatedly chanted the mantra, "We've got a long, long way to go."
That let his guys know never to grow satisfied.
But then, shortly after losing 12 of his 24 Rose Bowl starters, he changed his message to, "We'll be a better team next year."
What a poor message to send to the couple of dozen guys who hadn't done diddly in an Illini uniform - to be taught to believe they're already better than a Rose Bowl team?
2. That being said, this Illinois team would be no worse than 8-3 right now if Rashard Mendenhall had come back for his senior year instead of becoming an NFL first-rounder.
Anyone who tries to downplay 'Shard's importance to last year's team couldn't be more wrong.
3. Here were my first two predictions from my preseason college football column:
a) Illinois and Northwestern will finish the regular season exactly 1 win apart.
b) One of them will have 8 wins and enjoy a trip to the Alamo Bowl.
I meant "b" to be for the Wildcats. I still think that'll work out.
4. Maybe it's just me, but li'l ol' Texas Tech sneaking into the BCS title game would be something great for the sport and a blow to the pro-playoffs crowd (of which I am a member).
The Red Raiders, by the way, have been to bowls eight years in a row but never ranked higher than 15th in the final regular-season BCS standings.
5. Downey really thought of 11 items every Saturday? To prime the pump, I could really use an Ozzie Guillen rant right about now.
6. Oh, how about this 19-year-old Cuban third baseman who's signing a big-league deal with the White Sox?
Some scouts are saying Dayan Viciedo's weight has been ballooning, which makes him sound like the second coming of Miguel Cabrera.
I'm going to guess Kenny Williams can muddle through the next six years with a Cabrera-like hitter in his order.
7. Michael Jordan and Derrick Rose showed up at the same Illinois basketball game Sunday.
They sat 15 feet apart on the metal bleachers near the Illini bench. But from my vantage point, I never saw Greatness Past and Greatness Future acknowledge each other.
Of course, there were three local security guards protecting MJ from those who don't have championship rings.
8. When DePaul surrendered a good chunk of its second-half lead to Albany in its season opener Monday night, the Blue Demons student section started chanting, "Yes, we can! Yes, we can!"
While it might have been a little tongue-in-cheek, how soon until one section of Illinois' Orange Krush students starts yelling, "Fired up?" and another section responds, "Ready to go!"
9. Since we've already referenced the Tribune once here, let's do it again:
Did anyone read the scathing anecdotes about Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis in Teddy Greenstein's column last Saturday?
Among other things, Weis was accused of unchecked arrogance when visiting and pursuing top recruits.
There's a hall monitor at Chicago's Hubbard High School who tells similar stories of Weis' unchecked ego on his visit two years ago to recruit running back Robert Hughes.
The brusque way Weis carries himself might be pathetic, but he wrested Hughes away from Illinois. So who's to say Weis is on the wrong track?
10. Gosh, I hope ABC's cameras give us about 100 more shots of Joe Paterno slumped in a press-box chair during the course of today's Michigan State-Penn State.
We get it. He's essentially a figurehead for the program. Does it seem to be harming the Nittany Lions?
11. Here's a tip of the helmet to those college football seniors who understood they wouldn't play forever, so they made sure to get the most out of their "free" education.
And a wave of the cap to Mike Downey. Hope it's OK I bit your bit.
lwillhite@dailyherald.com