During my Labor Day weekend, the thing that really caught my attention was how bad Illinois looked against Missouri. I wasn't surprised that Missouri prevailed, but 37-9? Wow. Ron Zook did not have his Illini ready to play in that game. That's concerning, because he had nine months to get them ready.
I've been saying for awhile that this season is make-or-break for Zook. Until Saturday, a lot of Illini fans didn't agree with me, citing the Rose Bowl season that happened just two years ago. Here's the thing: The Illinois football program has been down this road before.
Look at the tenure of the previous head coach, Ron Turner: In 2001, he posted a 10-2 record. The Illini won the Big Ten championship and played in the Sugar Bowl that season. The following year, the team slumped to 5-7. Two years later, the Illini went 1-11. Turner should have been fired at that point, but he was given "accident forgiveness" for his Sugar Bowl appearance two years prior. Bad move. Illinois went 3-8 in 2004. Turner got fired and it took two more years to recover from that mess.
A similar scenario could be unfolding now. Zook had his big year in 2007, 9-4 and a Rose Bowl bid. Last year, the team slumped to 5-7 -- just like Turner's squad the year after the Sugar Bowl. If Zook turns in a second straight dud of a year like Turner did, fire him. Don't give him "accident forgiveness." Don't allow it to get out of control like it did under Turner.
The lesson here is this: Any coach can have one good year. Turner is considered an idiot by Illinois fans, but he did something Zook has yet to do: Win a Big Ten title. I can't emphasize it enough: Any coach can have one good year. Right now, Zook's winning percentage (18-31, .367) is actually worse than Turner's was at Illinois (35-57, .380).
Illinois fans, do NOT give Ron Zook a free pass because he went to the Rose Bowl two years ago. Learn from history and demand a winner this year. One good year does not make Zook (or anyone else) the right coach. Consistency is the thing that defines a good coach. Thus far, we've seen nothing of the sort from Zook.
Remember the days when Kirk Ferentz, John L. Smith (former Michigan State football coach), Bert Bielema, Pat Fitzgerald and Jim Tressel accused Ron Zook of illegally recruiting guys through cheating? Man I missed those days. Either those guys were paranoid or they overrated the talent of those guys. I am thinking latter. What do you think?
Zook not only has done a lousy job of coaching going back to last year, but I am starting to think those players are just not good. Outside of Juice Williams (he regressed so far this season), which player is good? Huh? Here's the deal. No high school football player in the Chicago area wants to latch on his collegiate program to the I-L-L-I-N-I unless it's basketball. The I-L-L-I-N-I might as well be Northwestern when it comes to college football. The great players that play in the area will likely play for programs such as Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State and some program in the East Coast. They ain't playing in Champaign.
As far as Zook taking them to the Rose Bowl, I learned two things. Zook's performance shows me that any retard can do great things and luck out. Also, what does getting to the Rose Bowl mean these days? It means the Big 10 sucks. The Rose Bowl is not what it used to be anymore. Does anyone watch it anymore? Why would anyone watch a Big 10 patsy get beaten by USC every year? I never knew why there should be a tradition of the Big 10 and Pac 10 team in the Rose Bowl. It's because of that, we have the stupid BCS.
What does it say about Zook that Gators fans wanted him gone before he coached his first college football game? There was a FireRonZook site the day he was hired over there. That's all you need to know.
I can only wonder what Big 10 coaches thought when they were worried about the I-L-L-I-N-I alleged ride to prominence.