Muller: Illini Could Be In For Special Season In 2011
Winning a bowl game like the Texas Bowl may not be that big of a deal to many who follow college football, but for the University of Illinois fans and Ron Zook, they will gladly take it.
Watch CBS News
Winning a bowl game like the Texas Bowl may not be that big of a deal to many who follow college football, but for the University of Illinois fans and Ron Zook, they will gladly take it.
Christmas is over. New Year's is looming. And in between this week the Big Ten gets its bowl season rolling.
The NCAA is the biggest joke in all of sports. A couple of week ago, Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was deemed eligible to play in the SEC Championship game against South Carolina.
On Feb. 8, 1896 – one month after X-Rays were discovered and nine months before William McKinley was elected as the United States' 25th president – a the Midwest's premier universities held a powwow in Chicago and established the Big Ten.
The last time I checked, the Chicago Bears play their home games outdoors in Soldier Field. The home of the Bears has long been known to be one of the most unforgiving stadiums in the National Football League in terms of inclement weather.
OK, it's taken a couple of days, but I'm finally on board with this whole new Big Ten thing. The conference is bigger, it's badder (and that's just what they're saying about our divisions!) and, thanks to all those new multi-name football awards, it's also more hyphenated than ever before.
When the Big Ten announced they were adding Nebraska, the response was almost all positive. And when the Big Ten announced the names for the new divisions, the response was almost all negative.
OK. Now it's my turn! There sure has been a lot of talk around Big Ten country in the past 24 hours about the new conference logo and football divisional names.
This past summer, when the Big Ten announced that the University of Nebraska was signing on as the league's 12th team, the Conference That Can't Count hit a stand-up triple.
Of course the names "Legends" and "Leaders" have been poorly received by fans and critics. The two new Big Ten division names are uninspiring and uncreative, at best.
You know how offensive coordinators can get too "cute" with their play calling when they are already having success? That's basically what Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany has done since announcing Nebraska would join the conference, allowing for a Big Ten Championship Game to be born.
The Big Ten released it's new logo and the names for it's two divisions, today. The addition of Nebraska, next year, will allow for the conference to have two divisions and a championship game.
Adam Hoge breaks down the eight bowl games involving Big Ten teams this season.
With the Big Ten Conference winning the Big Ten/ACC Challenge for the first time in eleven tries last season, both Illinois and Northwestern looked to do their part this year in ensuring that conference bragging rights would stay in the Midwest for at least one more year.
Technically nothing is official until the final BCS standings come out Dec. 5, but if it's up to the Rose Bowl representatives, the Wisconsin Badgers will be playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day.
Illinois coach Bruce Weber said his Fighting Illini played their best first half of the season on Saturday, when they took a 25-point lead into halftime.
Adam Hoge takes a look ahead at this week's Big Ten football action.
The team is mediocre, the coach is already under fire just 11 games into his tenure, and the school's administration is taking more hits than its quarterback these days.
The happiest man in Chicago this past Saturday had to be The University of Illinois Head Football Coach Ron Zook. Could you blame him?
Saturday's Illinois-Northwestern football game at Wrigley Field was a historic experience for fans of both teams, in more ways than one.
It sounds like the "losers walk" rules that kids use when playing football in their back yards. Whenever Illinois or Northwestern score on offense Saturday, everyone has to switch around and face the other way for the next drive.
There has been plenty of talk about Saturday's Northwestern and Illinois football game at Wrigley Field. Most of the talk has surrounded the safety of the players. Today an announcement was made to help protect them.
Did the Wisconsin Badgers run the score up against Indiana or are the Hoosiers just that bad?
A Chicago senior citizen said his phone has been ringing off the hook with hundreds of unwanted spam calls that have made his beloved landline virtually unusable. New efforts in Springfield could bring real relief.
Many Americans fleeing the conflict in the Middle East since the U.S.-Israel war in Iran started landed at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, relieved to finally be back home.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as a defensive assistant on coach Kyle Shanahan's staff.
A group of culinary students from the south suburbs spent Thursday making preparations to serve the food at Rev. Jesse Jacksons' memorial at House of Hope in Chicago Friday.
From midnight raids to shootings, Kristi Noem, who was ousted as DHS secretary by Trump today, was at the center of many of the controversies of Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago.
The announcement comes amid criticism of DHS spending under Noem, and as Congress has allowed the department's funding to lapse.
Federal prosecutors are dropping their probe into whether Biden and his aides unlawfully used an autopen for pardons, a source said.
Several Republicans on the Oversight panel joined with Democrats in supporting the motion to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden are among the big names who will be in Chicago Friday for Rev. Jesse Jackson's funeral.
Drivers in the Chicago area can expect to start paying more at the pump this week, as oil prices have spiked amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
Palatine, Illinois-based Weber has issued a recall of more than 3.2 million metal wire bristle grill brushes because you could ingest the bristles.
This is after Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed an ordinance that would have banned most hemp-derived products this weekend.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
A new development at the southeast corner of Chicago's East Lakeview community would clear away a medical office building and replace it with a residential high-rise.
The City of Aurora, Illinois, is seeking input from residents about data center development.
Not one, but two hotels are now planned or proposed for Chicago's Northalsted LGBTQ+ nightlife district.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
Actor and filmmaker Bruce Campbell told fans that he is in treatment for cancer and will cancel some upcoming public appearances.
Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, known for his hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Calendar Girl," has died.
A 19th-century George Méliès film, thought to be long lost, has been found among a box of brittle movie reels that a Michigan donor brought to the Library of Congress, officials said.
Streaming giant Netflix declined to match Paramount Skydance's $31 per share offer for Warner Bros. Discovery.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon has the latest First Alert Weather forecast.
A Chicago senior citizen said his phone has been ringing off the hook with hundreds of unwanted spam calls that have made his beloved landline virtually unusable. New efforts in Springfield could bring real relief.
In a matter of hours, thousands will pay their last respects to Rev. Jesse Jackson at a public celebration of his life. As final preparations are underway for the memorial, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition continued to move forward with his mission even in grief.
A Chicago man has been charged with a string of burglaries targeting video gambling terminals at businesses in Chicago's southwest suburbs.
A shakeup in the presidential cabinet. Kristi Noem is out as Secretary of HOmeland Security, amid criticism of the department's spending and immigration enforcement tactics. Noem is also entangled in several court cases in Chicago. So what are the legal ramifications of her departure?
Final preparations were underway on Thursday for the public celebration of life for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson at the House of Hope on the Far South Side.
Reaction from local leaders to news that Kristi Noem had been ousted as head of DHS was swift and savage.
Many Americans fleeing the conflict in the Middle East since the U.S.-Israel war in Iran started landed at O'Hare International Airport on Thursday, relieved to finally be back home.
A Chicago senior citizen said his phone has been ringing off the hook with hundreds of unwanted spam calls that have made his beloved landline virtually unusable. New efforts in Springfield could bring real relief.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
A Chicago senior citizen said his phone has been ringing off the hook with hundreds of unwanted spam calls that have made his beloved landline virtually unusable. New efforts in Springfield could bring real relief.
A proposed Illinois law hopes to create more oversight on private companies to protect consumers from skyrocketing utility prices.
The three women said they are working to make their way back home, but without any help from the U.S. State Department.
If you feel like you're drowning in a sea of text alerts and desperate email pleas for "just $5" this election season, you are far from alone.
A north suburban school bus driver became a victim of sophisticated scammers who are targeting more people and more vulnerable populations to make more money.
The San Francisco 49ers are hiring former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus as a defensive assistant on coach Kyle Shanahan's staff.
The Chicago Bears are in discussions with the Buffalo Bills to finalize a trade that sends Moore to the AFC East, according to CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Northwestern was in control before Purdue got back in the game with a 9-0 run in the second half.
Last-place Loyola Chicago came in shooting just 31% on 3s, but kept it close by outscoring the nation's top 3-point shooting team by nine from behind the arc.
Holtz coached Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996, winning 100 games with the school, including a 12-0 national title-winning season in 1988.
A Chicago man has been charged with a string of burglaries targeting video gambling terminals at businesses in Chicago's southwest suburbs.
An 11-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by three juveniles on Chicago's Near South Side this week.
A woman was held up by gun-wielding robbers in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood early Thursday morning.
Two women are dead in Pennsylvania and a man is dead in Illinois, after an apparent murder-suicide, police said.
Chicago police on Wednesday warned of a string of charity scam incidents in the on the Near West and South sides in recent weeks.
