Wisch: Who Are The Illini? We're About To Find Out
Over the next three weeks, Illinois faces five opponents with a combined record of 78-15. Four of them are currently ranked among the Top 15 teams in the country.
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Over the next three weeks, Illinois faces five opponents with a combined record of 78-15. Four of them are currently ranked among the Top 15 teams in the country.
For Cubs fans, it's time to convene. But for the Cubs? Well, apparently, it's time to count beans.
From the get-go, the names fit like a small-sized helmet on an XL-sized head. Awkwardly. And now, it's time for the Big Ten to send "Legends" and "Leaders" on their way. Mercifully.
The Fighting Illini are an imperfect basketball team.
But then there's the University of Illinois, the sadsack program of the prairie whose last three head football coaches can now be found at Florida International University (Ron Turner), the University of Buffalo (Lou Tepper) and, well, the coaching unemployment line (Ron Zook).
Is Nick Saban worth a look?
Keep your wits about yourself, Illini Nation.
This week, Ditka's comments about Smith's firing got me curious about how "Da Coach" fared against winning teams during his coaching career with the Bears. Additionally, I wondered how the coaches in between Ditka and Lovie – Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron – held against top competition during their time in Chicago.
Kirk Herbstreit might want to shoo them out of South Beach, but the Northern Illinois Huskies will nevertheless be playing in a BCS game tonight when they butt helmets with Florida State during the 2013 Orange Bowl.
There are more than 20,000 seats inside the United Center.
When it comes to college football, the state of Illinois has an attendance deficit.
asher and Dancer. Cookies and milk. Mistle and toe. The Bulls and the Knicks. Yes, some things just seem to go together on Christmas.
Come this evening in front of a rabid crowd in St. Louis, Illinois will defend its border against Missouri during the two schools' annual Braggin' Rights game.
Such is the Catch-22 of the situation that the Cubs have put themselves – and their overpaying, overly patient fans – in thanks to the path that Theo & Co. have embarked upon.
The future of Notre Dame's athletic programs – despite the football team's current success – has never been less stable, or clear.
With an 11-0 record and a Top 10 ranking, Illinois basketball appears to be back. But the Illinois basketball crowds? Well, they're not.
With no games scheduled until Monday, the Northwestern basketball team is taking a break this week. But here in the meantime, what I'm wondering is if the Northwestern basketball program will ever decide to break away from coach Bill Carmody.
Since the Bears traded for Cutler before the 2009 season, Lovie Smith's overall record is 34-27 for a winning percentage of .557, which is actually a drop off compared to his 45-35 record (.563) B.C. (Before Cutler).
Minnesota. The Chicago YMCA. Rose Polytechnic Institute. Minnesota again. The Evanston YMCA. Wisconsin. Millikin. Butler. DePaul. Wisconsin again. Houston. Arizona State. Furman. Louisville. North Carolina. … And Gonzaga?
How such numbers factor into the Bears' decision about whether to bring Smith back for 2013 isn't known, but what's clear is how Smith's career record looks under a magnifying glass. Not good.
Attendance certainly didn't improve markedly this past weekend. Rather, it sunk startlingly.
He's three inches shorter, five pounds lighter and unlikely to be named National Player of the Year (or go No. 2 in the NBA Draft), but that doesn't mean Brandon Paul can't still pull an Evan Turner this season.
When the Chicago Cubs, coming off their 104th year of championship futility topped by 101-loss cherry, probably inspire more hope and interest than your football program does, you know you have a problem.
Ex-Cub Ron Santo finally got into the Hall of Fame this past summer. Ex-Cub Greg Maddux will easily get into the Hall of Fame in the summer of 2014. And Ex-Cub Lee Smith will surely get into the Hall of Fame …
Last week, I canvassed a swath of Illini Nation via Twitter and Facebook, asking for suggestions about how the state's flagship school could better connect with fans – both existing and prospective ones – in the city.
Chicago has won three of four and moved one-half game ahead of idle Philadelphia for the top NL wild card.
Dozens of residents filled the auditorium of Trinity High School, many encouraging the village board to vote "no" on the O'Hare Flyer.
The deal would drop weapon enhancements from Grafton's charges, which could reduce a potential sentence by 20 years.
The White Sox, who lost 102 games and finished last in 2025, won the opener of the showdown series to push their lead over the Guardians to 1 1/2 games.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
The case stems from a Cronobacter bacterial contamination at one of Abbott Laboratories' Michigan plants.
Roger Simon, a celebrated political columnist who worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune, Politico, and other news organizations, died last week.
This week on The Angle, CBS Chicago's Chris Tye sat down with Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias to dive deeper into his campaign to become Chicago's next mayor.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed his supporters at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center Sunday afternoon, officially announcing his bid for a second term.
The congressman thanked the pilot and first responders for coming to their aid, and expressed his gratitude at only having sustained minor injuries.
Nicor customers will get a break on their bills this fall after Illinois Attorney General Kwame Roul reached an agreement with the utility to cut $140 million from its requested rate hike.
Drivers in Chicago and beyond were paying the highest gas prices ever recorded for the Labor Day holiday as millions of Americans were making their way home on Monday.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul filed a lawsuit Thursday against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Inc., alleging deceptive business practices.
Cook County homeowners are again facing a sharper increase in property taxes this year than businesses, the Office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced Monday.
Cardinal Blase Cupich and a group of Catholic nuns have joined a federal lawsuit challenging Illinois' Medical Aid in Dying law, which is set to take effect in just over a week.
Flies have been everywhere this summer in the Chicago area, and some of them bite. But why is this happening?
Prime Healthcare is drawing criticism after announcing it will stop obstetrics services at three Chicago-area hospitals.
The Chicago Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced two human cases and one death from the West Nile virus in the city this year, and one of those two people has died.
The Jackson Chance Foundation supports the lives of families with babies in the NICU by removing the financial burden of finding parking near hospitals.
Plans for a new Chicago White Sox stadium in the South Loop have residents near the existing ballpark in Bridgeport concerned, not just because the team might be leaving, but also what might be coming nearby.
A new report from the University of Illinois Chicago said federal immigration enforcement led to $1.26 billion in unspent money at retail establishments and restaurants in Cook County.
Around 115 million domestic and international tourists visited Illinois last year, pushing visitor spending past $50 billion for the first time and generating more than $88 billion in total economic impact.
A new Whole Foods Market is coming to Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
More than 100 Black-owned businesses were showcased at Soldier Field Sunday for Black on the Block.
Dubbed the "Designer to the Stars," Bob Mackie won nine Emmy Awards, a Tony Award and was nominated for three Oscars.
The stage was set and the air was humid as rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, took the stage for the first of two Chicago concerts at Soldier Field Thursday night.
James Fulton Engstrom, now a healthy teenager, was born without a pulse in 2010 — and his survival is the miracle the Catholic Church credited to Fulton Sheen's intercession, clearing the way for beatification.
The Met's decision to highlight the work by designer John Galliano sparked widespread controversy due to his history of antisemitic and racist comments.
The Edgewater Music Festival was under way this weekend on Chicago's north lakefront.
Hundreds of people showed up at Angel’s Stadium in Orange County over the weekend. They traded in their electric bikes and motorcycles in exchange for gift cards worth up to $1,000.
Experts say it’s important to incorporate meaningful social interaction into your day, regardless of where you work.
The birthday wish included bells tolling to the tune of "Happy Birthday." Pope Leo spent his 71st birthday opening a new exhibit at the Vatican library.
The pigs take a dip with you or sunbathe on the shore. Others are sunbathing on the shore with visitors.
Chief meteorologist Albert Ramon is tracking A thunderstorm risk in First Alert Weather.
A school bus window was shot out when a student with disabilities grabbed a gun belonging to the aide and fired, the assistant principal of Minnie Miñoso Elementary said.
The owners of a bar in southwest suburban Frankfort say they were hit by burglars again, and they left behind a huge mess.
Dozens of residents filled the auditorium of Trinity High School, many encouraging the village board to vote "no" on the O'Hare Flyer.
The deal would drop weapon enhancements from Grafton's charges, which could reduce a potential sentence by 20 years.
Three people were taken to the hospital from the scene of a fire in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood early Monday.
Chicago police crime data show 255 reported crimes in the last two years on the two blocks where the former Hard Rock and Rainforest cafés sit vacant. Neighbors have been calling the city about the alley between them for six years.
A three-year effort by the Cook County Sheriff's Office to help bring down crime on the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago appears to be working.
Several lawsuits are challenging Illinois' medical aid in dying law that is set to take effect on Sept. 12, including one in federal court arguing the law discriminates against people with disabilities.
Back in 2023, ISP got a $10 million grant from the Illinois Secretary of State's Illinois Vehicle Hijacking and Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention and Insurance Verification Council.
Two years before dozens of decomposing bodies were found inside the South Chicago Chapel funeral home, police in nearby Evergreen Park found two bodies in the owners' minivan outside their home.
Chicago has won three of four and moved one-half game ahead of idle Philadelphia for the top NL wild card.
The White Sox, who lost 102 games and finished last in 2025, won the opener of the showdown series to push their lead over the Guardians to 1 1/2 games.
Providence Catholic High School in southwest suburban New Lenox has fired football coach Tyler Plantz, despite the team's 4-0 start to the season.
Before the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 in a wild NFL season opener, quarterback Caleb Williams gave some young fans a special gift to help them get ready for the occasion.
The White Sox, who have lost 10 of their last 14 games, begin a three-game series Monday in Cleveland.
A $30,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person who shot and killed a 911 dispatcher in the Back of the Yards neighborhood last week.
A 15-year-old girl returned to court Monday to face murder charges, after authorities said she was one of a few people responsible for pushing a man out of a moving Chicago Transit Authority Red Line train.
An 85-year-old man from Crown Point, Indiana, was arrested this past weekend on accusations of shooting his wife.
Chicago police this past weekend issued a warning about a man who grabbed a woman at a CTA Blue Line station in Wicker Park.
CPD says six people were standing outside near an alley when two unknown vehicles approached. Multiple armed suspects got out and fired shots at the victims.
