The Rose Bowl Thread: USC vs Illinois

[El Turco]

Illinois is going to surprise you all on January 1st and to think we will be even better next year.

Hopefully. dont get me wrong i ll be rooting for illinois for big 10 s sake but i am quite pessimistic about this game.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

USC didn't lose a single game this year when they had reasonable health.

What, pray tell, constitutes reasonable health?

And yes, Illinois will lose badly, but it will be fun to watch.

[A.J.]

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What, pray tell, constitutes reasonable health?

And yes, Illinois will lose badly, but it will be fun to watch.

what will be fun to watch?

the ***kicking or the game itself, lol

just kidding

[UrbanLegendMD]

(picture)

Vontae Davis is gonna be a beast. Nobody gave us a chance against OSU and we took them down. Games are played on the field.

[IlliniNRG]

USC didn't lose a single game this year when they had reasonable health. It's hard for me to believe a 3 loss Illinois had much of a chance here. Illini fans, is there some match up specifically that makes you think you have the edge?

I don't hear any Illini fans predicting a win, and I won't either...I'm thrilled to be going. I've got tickets and a hotel room set up, I'm ready to go.

Illinois's QB can run better than Booty, Illinois' RB is better than USC's and their o-line is pretty damn good too. our WRs are pretty average as a group. on D, Lehman is an all-american caliber LB, and Vontae Davis (Vernon's brother) is a playmaker at CB. the rest of the secondary is solid but not great. the other 2 LBs are eh, and the d-line is good but not dominant.

I'd say USC's more talented at probably 16-17 out of 24 (k+p) positions on the field, and Carroll's a better game coach than Zook. anything can happen though. IL's offense is tough to defend, and they've gotta be motivated.

[studcrackers]

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Yeah go ucs!

when u say go ucs are you referring to the union of concerned scientists or the utah computer society?

i think you'd have a fighting chance against either one of these guys

[treyZz]

Martez Wilson will get used a ton in this game to match up with some of USC's offensive weapons.

Martez may be the most athletic player on either team.

[PhilipNelsonFan]

Illinois' RB is better than USC's and their o-line is pretty damn good too.

Holy God no. I take it you haven't yet seen Joe McKnight, though. Or the other eight running backs that are slightly less talented.

USC has probably four running backs that are better than Mendenhall, but damn if Mendenhall doesn't deserve respect.

[Posey H8er]

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when u say go ucs are you referring to the union of concerned scientists or the utah computer society?

i think you'd have a fighting chance against either one of these guys

No he just made a typo.

[IlliniNRG]

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Holy God no. I take it you haven't yet seen Joe McKnight, though. Or the other eight running backs that are slightly less talented.

USC has probably four running backs that are better than Mendenhall, but damn if Mendenhall doesn't deserve respect.

Holy God yes, and saying that USC has 4 running backs better than Mendenhall is plain ignorance. There might not be 4 running backs in college football better than Mendenhall.

Someday McKnight might be the kind of impact guy RM is, but not this year. I'm sure USC has a slew of 4 and 5 star guys behind him. Fine. Mendenhall averaged over 6 yards a carry this year, and rushed for over 1500 yards. USC does not have that polished or consistent of a player at running back this year.

[SportsWorld]

I'm guessing you haven't watched much of Illinois this year. Rashard Mendenhall has been our leader on offense, not Juice Williams.

[HMFFL]

USC is favored to win by 13

[Posey H8er]

Expect huge number from Juice next season.

[deeney0]

I think this game is going to be closer than the Mational Championship. The Illini are still gonna get smoke, just not by as much as OSU.

[sportsrock37]

Zook is a terrible bowl game coach...... I really hope the Illini wins, but I don't see any chance of it happening. Juice and Mendenhall are going to be a sick tandem next year.

[treyZz]

Mendenhall is likely going to the NFL.

[SportsWorld]

Mendenhall is likely going to the NFL.

Zook will talk him out of it. If Mendenhall comes back, the Illini should be one of the top 5 favorites to win it all next year. Plus, Mendenhall would probably be one of the favorites to win the Heisman alongside Tebow.

[UrbanLegendMD]

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Zook will talk him out of it. If Mendenhall comes back, the Illini should be one of the top 5 favorites to win it all next year. Plus, Mendenhall would probably be one of the favorites to win the Heisman alongside Tebow.

Word on the street is he was told he had a big chance to go in the first round, so he is probably gonna declare.

[A.J.]

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Zook will talk him out of it. If Mendenhall comes back, the Illini should be one of the top 5 favorites to win it all next year. Plus, Mendenhall would probably be one of the favorites to win the Heisman alongside Tebow.

i agree with everything you said here....if he does leave however i have him rated higher than mike hart

[IlliniNRG]

Mendenhall if awesome, but even if he does leave, Zook's still got some guys behind him who can run. Dufrene tore off that huge run against OSU, and Pollard looked damn good before he got hurt. I think they've got some freshmen coming in too who should be able to play.

Just got my tickets in the mail today!