This Illinois fan is forgetting the last time they had a defense worth talking about was back when they had Simeon Rice in the early 90s. We've seen this story before. You can "build guys up" all you want, but talent wins out, and Penn State has been pulling top-tier talent for decades. I remember when they had LaVar Arrington and those crews, and they'd come into our house and just out-athlete you. That's what happens. All this "real work" talk is what teams say when they can't win the big one. The Big Ten West was built on that kind of talk, and look where it got them, the whole division is gone now. Real work is what Joe Paterno's teams did, or what George Welsh had our guys doing in the 80s. You show up with a plan and better players. Recruiting websites just tell you who has the players, and Penn State usually has them. Illinois had one decent season recently and suddenly they're the standard? Please. We played in the Citrus and Peach Bowls when Illinois was home for the holidays. Building guys up is fine, but you can't build a silk purse from a sow's ear, as my old man used to say.