Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular

August 18, 2025

It’s August and the summer heat is reaching peak levels – just as football practice starts and anticipation of the 2025 Illini football season keeps pace with the temperature. IlliniGuys Staff Writer Matt Stevens is covering the Illini and his daily practice updates have become a staple of Illini fans trying to keep up with the team.

Hail Mary #1 – Michigan Gets NCAA Punishment

The Michigan Wolverines were punished for developing a complex sign-stealing effort that was led by former staffer Connor Stallions during the Jim Harbaugh coaching regime. While many would say sign stealing is a long-used practice, the Wolverines went to lengths beyond acceptability. Due to the NCAAs lack of subpoena practice, they could not prove Harbaugh’s knowledge of the activities. This leaves a lot of room for Michigan fans to claim victim status.

Michigan was assessed with multiple monetary fines and recruiting related penalties, but no post season bans or vacating of wins were levied. Show causes were applied to Stallions, Harbaugh and Denard Robinson. It seems clear the NCAA is not willing to make athletes pay for the sins of their predecessors and/or is worried about losing another court case. Michigan has said it will appeal.

I am conflicted about this punishment. I do think vacating wins is the most ridiculous of all fines. The team that wins on the field is the champion and it cannot be taken away, no matter if future telling of college football history is altered. Leaving the championship alone is good because virtue signals are a waste of time and effort. Vacating wins is equally a waste of time.

Fines are expected to total over $30 million dollars. While that is an incredibly large number, with Michigan’s alumni base and the feeling of being unfairly targeted spreading in the fanbase (a delusional feeling I might add), there’s little doubt Michigan can raise the funds to pay this fine with little more than fundraisers making a few phone calls.

Cheating for recruits might as well be a thing of the past as now with NIL dollars, it’s simply a bidding war. Whether one likes it or not, at the highest levels of talent in the game, acquiring talent has always been a bidding war. The dollars are much larger today due to the behavior no longer being “against the rules” as it was in the past. With recent court cases favoring an individual’s right to earn a living, I’m not sure if it’s worth trying to enforce these recruiting/salary cap rules.

The concern that I have with Michigan’s behavior was they took the sign stealing to the unprecedented level of having a Michigan staffer in disguise on the sideline of a Michigan State Spartan opponent. Why do I care? Trying to enter a game with as close to a complete set of opponent signals as is possible enters into the zone of being an “integrity of the game” issue.

By knowing what play an opponent has called and being able to respond to a play with your own play that has a higher probability of success is akin to point shaving. It impugns the very competitive integrity of the game. Once fans wonder if the game is “real” or if results are being artificially altered, it can affect their willingness to participate as a fan with the game itself. Wondering if players are intentionally missing shots, overthrowing receivers, dropping fly balls, or knowing what the other team is going to do can cause massive amounts of fan disengagement. One only needs to research and learn when professional wrestling went from a huge sport along with baseball, boxing and horse racing into a carnival event almost overnight. That transformation/decline is the nightmare of any legitimate sport.

We will see if the fines are heavy enough to cause Michigan any pain at all. The key is making the fine painful enough to modify behavior but not destroy the program. If the fine is not enough, this just signals that teams can do whatever it takes to win, deny you did it, get the trophy and afterwards pay a fine. And then, maybe, go to court on top of it all.

Not a great moment for college sports.

Hail Mary #2 – The B1G is Pushing a 24-or-28-Team Playoff

The B1G is interested in an expanded, expanded playoff. I use the word "expanded" twice because I think the 14-or-16-team playoff is an expanded playoff to most now. It can be confusing.

I am here to say a 24-or-28-team playoff will generate more money than playoff formats with less teams involved. Of that, there is no doubt.

There is no doubt that an expanded, expanded playoff format will have a few backers, but I think the downside of having so many teams involved is that the overall season would need even more games and the chances of teams minimizing their non-conference schedules would go up astronomically.

These are the same arguments used against the 12-and 16-team playoff format. To me, the additional games aren’t too much but I would prefer to see 9 in conference games be mandatory if you want to make the playoff. Even more important to any playoff system is the development of a formula that allows a school to not be fully penalized for losing games against highly rated opponents.

It is important to win games but a win against Furman is not equal to a loss against Alabama or Ohio State. The formula for getting into the playoffs must be fine-tuned so that an exciting regular season is NOT sacrificed in exchange for a great postseason tournament. Both an exciting regular season and a memorable postseason tournament can be had – if the right formula for CFP selection is designed with an eye on engineering both.

Get it right.

Hail Mary #3 – The AP All-Time All-American Teams

The Associated Press Released their All-Time All-American Team. The Fighting Illini were represented by two players: Dick Butkus (1^st Team LB) and Al Brosky (2^nd Team S).

Everyone knows the story of Dick Butkus, the greatest middle linebacker ever and a collegiate and NFL legend, but not everyone knows about Al Brosky.

Brosky still holds the NCAA career record for interceptions with 29, career interceptions per game at 1.1 (with 29 interceptions in 27 games), and most consecutive games with an interception at 15.

That’s quite a duo of Fighting Illini who made this prestigious team.

1^st Team Offense:

• Wide receivers — Randy Moss, Marshall, 1997; Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh, 2003.
• Tackles — Orlando Pace, Ohio State, 1995-96; Bill Fralic, Pittsburgh, 1982-83-84.
• Guards — John Hannah, Alabama, 1972; Jim Parker, Ohio State, 1956.
• Center — Chuck Bednarik, Penn, 1947-48.
• Tight end — Brock Bowers, Georgia, 2023.
• QB — Tim Tebow, Florida, 2007.
• Running backs — Barry Sanders, Oklahoma State, 1988; Herschel Walker, Georgia, 1980-81-82.
• Kicker — Sebastian Janikowski, Florida State, 1998-99.
• All-purpose — Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska, 1972.

1^st Team Defense:

• Defensive ends — Hugh Green, Pittsburgh, 1978-79-80; Randy White, Maryland, 1974.
• Defensive tackles — Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska, 2009; Bronko Nagurski, Minnesota, 1929.
• Linebackers — Dick Butkus, Illinois, 1964; Derrick Thomas, Alabama, 1988; Chris Spielman, Ohio State, 1986-87.
• Cornerbacks — Charles Woodson, Michigan, 1996-97; Deion Sanders, Florida State, 1987-88.
• Safeties — Ronnie Lott, Southern California, 1980; Ed Reed, Miami, 2000-01.
• Punter — Tory Taylor, Iowa, 2023.

2^nd Team Offense:

• Wide receivers — DeVonta Smith, Alabama, 2020; Desmond Howard, Michigan, 1991.
• Tackles — Jonathan Ogden, UCLA, 1995; Bryant McKinnie, Miami, 2001.
• Guards — Brad Budde, Southern California, 1979; John Smith, Notre Dame, 1927.
• Center — Dave Rimington, Nebraska, 1981-82.
• Tight end — Keith Jackson, Oklahoma, 1986-87.
• QB — Vince Young, Texas, 2005.
• Running backs — Archie Griffin, Ohio State, 1974-75; Tony Dorsett, Pittsburgh, 1976.
• Kicker — Martin Gramatica, Kansas State, 1997.
• All-purpose — Tim Brown, Notre Dame, 1986-87.

2^nd Team Defense:

• Defensive ends — Bubba Smith, Michigan State, 1966; Bruce Smith, Virginia Tech, 1984.
• Defensive tackles — LeeRoy Selmon, Oklahoma, 1975; Warren Sapp, Miami, 1994.
• Linebackers — Jerry Robinson, UCLA, 1976-77-78; Brian Bosworth, Oklahoma, 1985-86; Lawrence Taylor, North Carolina, 1980.
• Cornerbacks — Champ Bailey, Georgia, 1998; Tyrann Mathieu, LSU, 2011.
• Safeties — Bennie Blades, Miami, 1986-87; Al Brosky, Illinois, 1951.
• Punter — Reggie Roby, Iowa, 1981.

Voters:

AP sports writers Cliff Brunt, Maura Carey, Schuyler Dixon, Josh Dubow, Stephen Hawkins, Larry Lage, Mark Long, Michael Marot, Steve Megargee, Eric Olson, Eddie Pells, Noah Trister