"I've learned that life is one crushing defeat after another, until you just wish Flanders was dead." - Homer Simpson
I certainly don't feel that way about life in general (and not just because, like hens love roosters and geese love ganders, I love Ned Flanders more than Homer Simpson loves a nacho hat). But the first part of that sentence does a pretty good job of summarizing how I've felt watching my football teams this fall. After a 6-0 start, the Illini may need to win their last game of the regular season at Minnesota to avoid being shut out of a bowl game. The Bears had been doing a good job of covering up the stench emanating from Champaign by posting a five-game winning streak - and major props to you if you guessed that the Bears, who were sitting at 2-3 at the same time the Illini were 6-0, would reach seven wins before the Illini did. However, as you've undoubtedly heard, the Bears suffered a crushing injury on Sunday, losing long snapper Patrick Mannelly to a torn ACL. Oh - and there was also something about Jay Cutler breaking his thumb during the win over the Chargers.
