We're Number Three!

The Illini had everything going right for them tonight, and dominated the entire game on their way to an easy 35-3 win over SIU. And everything I worried about in my prediction post - the turnover battle (which Illinois lost 3-2), needing to put the game on the shoulders of Nathan Scheelhaase (who went 14-18 for 231 yards, 2 TDs, no INTs, and a QB rating of 222.2 for the game), SIU being amped for the game - didn't matter. All of which means that we're still (at worst) the third-best program in the state right now. And at least I was pretty close on calling the Illini's point total for the game.

Some might think this is just a win over a cupcake, but even if that's true, it's better than the alternative (as Virginia Tech and Minnesota discovered today). At the very least, this is something to build on, with another winnable game coming up next week at home against Northern Illinois, which had to hold on for a 23-17 win at home against North Dakota today. It would be nice to get out to a 2-1 start before we run into the twin buzz-saws of Ohio State and a trip to Happy Valley after our bye week. While the competition this week may not have been as tough as I anticipated, it was nice to see our freshman QB make big improvements from last week. If that continues, I can see Illini football becoming fun again in the not-too-distant future. And next year, it will be nice to open with a game like this instead of being fed to the Tigers.