(04-08-2018 04:45 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  In IL’s case, the problem isn’t too many. It’s where some are located.

EIU is one of the worst located colleges in the country. There is zero niche for them to fill - 1 hour from UofI and EIU’s vicinity in all directions may as well be uninhabited. Miracle that school’s alive.

There is no reason for two SIU’s to exist - Edwardsville exists as a makeup for the poor location of other directionals.

If one could redo the location of the directionals:
NIU - Rockford
EIU - Naperville
WIU - Quad Cities or Springfield
SIU - Edwardsville

Gets rid of some brutal college towns like Charleston and DeKalb and shifts the schools to population centers. Carbondale is actually a real nice college town that supports the Salukis well but they’re the clear exception to the rule for IL directionals.

Rockford could have had NIU when it opened, but they turned them down since they didn't want to give up the land east of the Rock River or something. That being said, it's all moot, since no one in that part of the state gives a rip about college sports, and the ones that do are by and large Wisconsin bandwagoners.

DeKalb is also an all around nicer place to be than Rockford and has a METRA connection to Chicago. Rockford just has crime.