Illinois blogger predicts they will beat Michigan on 10/12/19

Submitted by Decatur Jack on

Edit: Sorry if already posted

Robert (@aLionEye), longtime Illini blogger and who Brian once called "the world's most dedicated Illini fan," has been pumping one day that Illinois football will return to glory: October 12, 2019. That's the day he says Illinois will beat Michigan.

Of course, this piqued my interest, and I enjoy reading Big Ten blogs, so I thought I'd find out more about it. Well, turns out this gentlemen is pretty damn obsessed with the 2019 game against Michigan. (Should we really be that surprised?)

From what I can gather, it started from a mailbag post:

@ALionEye How long before College Game Day comes to Illinois.
— Kevin Butcher (@KevinAButcher) March 8, 2016

Pretty sure I have this one already picked out: Saturday, October 12, 2019 vs. Michigan.

Why so long in the future? Well, Gameday only goes to 12 spots every year and we're just not going to be that relevant yet. Perhaps it could happen in the 2018 season, but the home schedule that year (Kent State, WIU, South Florida, Penn State, Purdue, Minnesota, Iowa) doesn't really scream "big matchup that brings Gameday to town".

So get your tickets now for October 12, 2019. Illinois will be 5-0 (beat Akron, UConn, Eastern Michigan, Nebraska, and Minnesota). Michigan will be 5-0 (probably). Night game (I'll demand it). The demons of 2000 swirling around the stadium. And then...

Our Moment.

He has reiterated it again:

Instead, when we take the field on October 12, 2019 against Michigan and exorcise the demons of September 2000, Jamal Milan will take the field as the gigantic anchor in the center of the defense.

And again:

Which means I'm back to October 12, 2019. Our next game against Michigan. At home. At night (it better be at night). When New Illinois takes on Old Michigan.

Between this Michigan game and that Michigan game, we're going to see maybe 75 repairs. A freshman will start at some position next year, and then another new freshman will win that same spot in 2018. Lots of data points, no real turning points.

Until October 12, 2019, of course. Which I've already overhyped. But really, that's the moment.

October 12, 2019.

He repeats it all the time on his twitter feed, and says it every night before he goes to bed.

October 12, 2019. Now a scant 743 days away! https://t.co/kMMUaiaRpK

— Robert (@ALionEye) September 30, 2017

Save the date, I guess.

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MichiganExile

September 30th, 2017 at 1:08 AM ^

I can't choose my favorite part about this post. Is it:

A) Someone predicting a win two years in advance

B) A rival fan actively searching out and finding this prediction

C) Posting it like bulletin board material for rival fans two years in advance

D) Starting the post with "Sorry if already posted" 

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EGD

September 30th, 2017 at 2:42 AM ^

"The demons of 2000." I assume this refers to Anthony Thomas fumble that wasn't called in the UM-Ill game that year. Illinois fans have always been understandably upset about that. It does seem to me they should have gotten over it by now, though.: Illinois went 5-6 in the 2000 season. Even if they'd gotten the call on A-Train's fumble and gone on to win, they still finish 6-5, maybe 7-5 with a Pizza Bowl victory or something. It's not as though that game cost Illinois a Rose Bowl trip or anything like that. Besides, while M may have gotten a break in the 2000 game, the 1999 and 2009 games were much bigger dong punches that should more than cancel out the 2000 game.

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redwhiteandMGOBLUE

September 30th, 2017 at 6:08 AM ^

It does seem to me they should have gotten over it by now

Just reading through this thread people still bring up the 2010 contest against Illinois, a game in which we won, and many people on this blog are clearly still not over it. That was seven years and two regime changes since.

There are just too many games both for good and bad that most fan bases will never get over.

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stephenrjking

September 30th, 2017 at 2:51 AM ^

Poor guy. In the football blogosphere he is the most admired thing about Illinois football (which, by the way, the Lovie Smith hire isn't going well, is it?) with his dedicated 25k word previews of a football team consigned to the basement of a bad division. Here then is an irony-tinged optimistic prediction for a return to glory. And he pitches it as "new Illinois" against "old Michigan." Hate to break it to you, man. The only way Michigan is "old" is if guys like Rashan Gary and Devin Bush miraculously come back for their senior seasons. DPJ and Tarik Black will be seasoned juniors. Our OL, if old, will be frighteningly good. You don't want to play old Michigan. Nobody wants to play them. Not OSU, not Clemson, not Bama. Alas, poor ALionEye.

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BIGBLUEWORLD

September 30th, 2017 at 3:58 AM ^

I noticed that ALionEye predicts an Illinois victory.

It doesn't say anything about him betting a lot of money on an Illinois victory.

 

Anyway, I don't see the point of kicking Illinois or Rutgers, etc. They are overmatched and outclassed. There's no reason they shouldn't try to generate some optimism and give it the old college try.

Let's win the game of course. But there's nothing to be gained by insulting their honest (though generally futile) effort.

I like coach Harbaugh's approach. He rips into some screwball coaches and incompetent referees, but he doesn't disrespect any university or their team.

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Amaizin' Blue

September 30th, 2017 at 6:27 AM ^

By demons swirling around the stadium does he mean the stench of manure blowing into the south end zone?

Good for him to be optimistic but that program is, as Chris Fowler would say..... not good

It would help the B1G if they could do well but it won’t happen with Lovie. Nor do I see them firing him (can’t afford to pay two coaches). It will take a lot longer than two years for them to fix things there.



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bacon

September 30th, 2017 at 7:08 AM ^

I’m not even sure he’s predicting a win. Maybe I’m missing something because I’m rocking a baby, but he’s predicting a tv show will be filmed there. He says they exorcise demons, but it’s not really the same as saying they’re going to win. That said, he is predicting Jamal Milan will still be on the team as a RS-senior. I’ll predict he’s up against Ruiz and Bredeson and Onwenu. As jr/srs after many years of Harbaugh. I like those matchups.

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Wolverine 73

September 30th, 2017 at 7:43 AM ^

Does this guy have any information on Dow 2019? Or perhaps when the world is ending? With his extraordinary foresight, perhaps he could help us out with these prognostications.

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Perkis-Size Me

September 30th, 2017 at 8:02 AM ^

Who knows what Illinois will look like two years from now. But considering they just got their ass kicked by Mike Riley’s disaster of a football team, I don’t think they have much of anything to try and puff their chests out about. Whether that’s present circumstances or future declarations.

Lovie is going to need quite a bit of time just to get that program to respectability. Never mind contending for championships. Even just being a regular 7-5 to 8-4 team.

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UMBSnMBA

September 30th, 2017 at 10:18 AM ^

Is that all of our freshmen and sophomores right now will be juniors and seniors that year.  If that 2019 team doesn't win the Natty, it'll never happen.  Illinois and most other teams will be roadkill.  Notre Dame, MSU, OSU will all be at home.  

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