Expectant

I think I can officially say that I've never experienced a game like the 2024 Citrus Bowl. It's April 22nd and it's just not going away. I can't recall a game with so many residual effects. And I've been doing this for a long time.

I mean, not the blog thing. That's only 16 years. I've only been writing about Illini football for 16 years. Well, I've been writing about Illini football for nearly 30 years on various Illini message boards. I started discussing Illini football with other fans online in 1997 (on the Big Ten Fan Forums and then the message boards at the original IlliniBoard). It wasn't until 2009 that I started my own blog. And then in 2013, I joined up with Brumby and IlliniBoard to bring everything full circle. But I've only been blogging about the Illini for 16 years.

Of course I was discussing the Illini well before that. I used to attend the tapings of the Lou Tepper Show when I was a student in the early 90's, especially the one season he held the show at the Illini Union. And I'd wait around until afterwards to ask Coach Tepper questions. He once told me that both Chico Brown and Mike Flaar would eventually be drafted. Chico Brown and Mike Flaar were not eventually drafted.

So I guess I can say that I've been "doing this" for a long time. I first started discussing the Illini online in 1997 when I was 24 years old. That was 28 years ago. 28 years from now I will be 80 years old. OK, that settles it - I've been doing this for a LONGGG time.

And I can't recall a game with lasting effects like the Citrus Bowl. It's something more than "we finally won a big national-broadcast bowl game like the Citrus Bowl." Put simply, it now feels like the arrival I've been hoping since Lou Tepper told me that two of the freshmen offensive linemen would eventually be in the NFL.