Illinois to hire Lovie Smith as head football coach

[GGGG]

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/illini/lovie-smith-to-take-over-illini-football/article_f54062b8-467a-5d7b-9dc5-094adcdf30f9.html

I understand the program is a mess, and I understand the desire to get rid of Cubit, but wouldn't it have been better to just wait out the year?  Lovie hasn't coached in college for 20 years and hardly distinguished himself his last few years as an NFL coach.

EDIT:  Let me add that my guess is that this is a hire made by boosters and that the new AD, on his first day on the job, didn't come up with it.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Sounds like Pete Carrol

[GGGG]

If Smith surrounds himself with a staff as good as Carroll did, it may work.  But Carroll's personality at USC versus Smith's at Illinois???  I am thinking this won't work.

[🏀]

I think Lovie having to do interviews on The Score is going to be great.

[Pakuni]

If Smith surrounds himself with a staff as good as Carroll did, it may work.  But Carroll's personality at USC versus Smith's at Illinois???  I am thinking this won't work.

It might not work, but credit the Illini for actually trying to do something somewhat bold for the first time in more than a decade, and not just bring in some retread or mid-major guy. They had success when pulling a similar hire in John Mackovic.
The big question is whether he a) can hire a quality OC and allow him to do his job and b) recruit consistently. If he can do those two things, he'll be OK.

[LAZER]

I think it's a great hire for Illinois.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Pete Carroll had access to great talent, sunshine, great tradition, insane looking women, etc.  It's probably as good a hire as Illinois can get...hope he does well.

The absolute free pass that Wisconsin gets every year with that joke division has to be addressed.

[Dish]

I like Lovie, think he can coach the heck out of a defense, but I feel like this is going to be a train wreck.

I don't have an answer for who else they could have gotten, but this just seems a very strange fit.

[GGGG]

Pete Carroll had access to great talent, sunshine, great tradition, insane looking women, etc.  It's probably as good a hire as Illinois can get...hope he does well.

The absolute free pass that Wisconsin gets every year with that joke division has to be addressed.

Wisconsin didn't win it last year.

[MU82]

Desperate university + desperate coach = Oy.

The question now is who will the new coach be in 2019?

[Lennys Tap]

Wisconsin didn't win it last year.

No facts, please! Chico never lets facts stand in the way of his preferred narrative!

[Herman Cain]

This is an excellent hire. Well respected pro coach with important name recognition in the Chicago market.  He will build the defense first most likely and over time build the offense.  I am not an Illinois fan by any means but I do think Lovie is a first class guy and will bring some respectability to the program.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

It's a perfectly fine hire. The people who say it's a terrible hire obviously don't know that the Illinois football program has been a complete tire fire since their last rose bowl apperiance.

[tower912]

Quit insulting tire fires. 

[ChicosBailBonds]

Wisconsin didn't win it last year.

Yup, that doesn't change the fact the division they play in is an absolute joke compared to the other one.  Completely out of balance.

[GGGG]

After thinking about it, I actually think this isn't a bad hire at all considering the timing and the circumstances.

But I still think it won't be successful.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Quit insulting tire fires.

Well, you're certainty not wrong.

[Lennys Tap]

Yup, that doesn't change the fact the division they play in is an absolute joke compared to the other one.  Completely out of balance.

Yup, that doesn't change the fact that you were wrong when you said UW "gets a free pass EVERY year". They didn't as recently as this year, in fact.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Yup, that doesn't change the fact that you were wrong when you said UW "gets a free pass EVERY year". They didn't as recently as this year, in fact.

They didn't even finish 2nd in their division. They were behind Iowa and Northwestern.

[buckchuckler]

They didn't even finish 2nd in their division. They were behind Iowa and Northwestern.

Perennial powerhouses.  Pretty much the same as Ohio St, Michigan, Michigan St. 

[Pakuni]

Perennial powerhouses.  Pretty much the same as Ohio St, Michigan, Michigan St.

Big 10 titles in the last 25 years:
Michigan State = 3
Northwestern = 3

Anyhow, what's the point? Is the conference supposed to re-align its divisions annually to maintain competitive balance?

[buckchuckler]

Big 10 titles in the last 25 years:
Michigan State = 3
Northwestern = 3

Anyhow, what's the point? Is the conference supposed to re-align its divisions annually to maintain competitive balance?

Where is the Iowa Michigan comp?  Or Iowa OSU?

No point.  But trying to pretend that Wisconsin isn't in an easier division is ridiculous.