Championship week chaos leaves opening for two Big Ten team playoff
By Dan Escalona
December 1, 2015
Can a dominant win over Michigan — and equal amounts of luck — grant Ohio State the chance to defend it’s title?Can Iowa silence its critics and continue 2015’s most surprising run all the way to the CFP?Can Michigan State revive its seemingly once crushed playoff hopes?Can Florida or N...
Introducing your next athletic director: Kevin McCarthy
November 10, 2015
Despite being cleared of wrongdoing, former Athletic Director Mike Thomas had about a snowball’s chance in hell at surviving the report about the allegations surrounding Illini athletics.Whoever follows Thomas as AD will certainly start with their back against the wall. Except the wall will be on fire, ...
Fantasy Doctor: I must be doing something right, maybe
November 4, 2015
Look, I try not to be repetitive in these columns. But with another week in the NFL crossed off the calendar, your beloved Fantasy Doctor has gone 3-0 across three leagues yet again.I’m 12-0 over the last month and it’s beginning to scare me. Is this all some sick set-up for me to lose every fanta...
One botched punt sends Spartans, Wolverines on divergent paths
By Dan Escalona
October 20, 2015
The full spectrum of human emotion could be seen in the final 10 seconds of Michigan State’s surreal victory over rival Michigan this weekend.On one side was the pure ecstasy of Michigan State as Spartans’ players jumped into the stands to celebrate an improbable win. On the opposite end, you saw th...
Fantasy Doctor: Sports injuries are sad
October 13, 2015
Fantasy Doctor @joeyfigueroa3: Sports injuries are sadFootball is a violent sport. Five straight weeks of clashing, fighting and hitting some of the world’s premiere athletes can certainly take it toll. Most seasons, there’s a handful of major injuries that shake up the fantasy landscape, and Jamaal...
Top Big Ten teams unworthy of playoff spot
By Dan Escalona
October 13, 2015
Normally, boasting an undefeated record through six games in a Power Five conference is enough to deserve consideration for a spot in the College Football Playoff.The manner Ohio State and Michigan State have performed of late, though, puts them in the position of being left in the selection committee’s dust ...
A Conversation with an Illini: Charlie Naso
October 12, 2015
Illini relief pitcher Charlie “Chuck” Naso is a savage. This week I sat down with the right-hander to talk about the team’s magical 2015 season, meeting David Price and my chances at touching his heater.Kevin McCarthy: I heard you guys were pretty good last season. How fun was that?Charlie Naso:...
Wildcats’ stout defense ready to stifle Big Ten West
By Dan Escalona
October 6, 2015
On a nippy Chicago fall afternoon, the ferocious defense of the Northwestern Wildcats forced the Minnesota Golden Gophers into the meat grinder that Ryan Field has become.The 27-0 win over the Gophers was Northwestern’s second shutout of the season.That dominant performance is another exploit of a...
University earns award for excellence in diversity
September 30, 2014
For the second year in a row, INSIGHT into Diversity magazine awarded the University of Illinois with its Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award. This recognition has been given out for the past three years by the publication and this was the second year the University applied for it. “We are...
