Illini look to clinch a bowl bid
Illinois knows it can clinch the program's first bowl invitation since 2001 with a win at Minnesota Saturday.
While that represents unmistakable progress in Ron Zook's third year at the helm, the current college football landscape doesn't measure teams by bowl bids. It ranks them using the Bowl Championship Series formula.
That's the best way to measure a program's progress, seeing as how everyone's goal should be to play in the BCS title game.
What does the BCS formula (two parts voters, one part computers) say about Illinois?
As it turns out, the Illini are progressing faster than all the other 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams this year.
According to numbers provided by CollegeBCS.com, Illinois finished last year's regular season as the nation's 100th-best team.
But the Illini enter Saturday's game at last-place Minnesota (7 p.m., Big Ten Network) as the nation's No. 32 team.
That 68-place rise eclipses every other team. Kansas ranks second as its 8-0 start has prompted a move from No. 69 to No. 8.
(By the way, Illinois' jump from 2 wins to 6 wins represents the nation's biggest increase to date in that category as well).
"It's important that our football team understands what we have accomplished because we have accomplished some big things," Zook said. "But more importantly, I think we understand that there is an awful lot to go, a long way to go, and a lot we can accomplish."
With Minnesota and Northwestern still on the docket, there's a good chance these Illini could deliver the program's second 8-win regular season since 1990.
And with a visit to top-ranked Ohio State on next week's agenda, there's a premier opportunity to showcase their progress.
But first things first.
Minnesota might be in the midst of the nation's third-worst BCS decline (from No. 46 at the end of 2006 to No. 106 today), but Zook sees a program ready to climb.
"They're probably a ways ahead of where we were in our first year," he said, "in terms of where they're at and the way they're playing."
First-year Minnesota coach Tim Brewster, who caught 64 passes for Illinois' 1983 Big Ten champs as the No. 2 target in Mike White's pass-happy attack, shares Zook's optimistic viewpoint.
"We're all very, very disappointed with our won-loss record, but I'm not disappointed with these kids," Brewster said. "Change is hard. First years are tough. We're instituting a totally new system here. Offensively. Defensively. A new way of doing things. That takes time."
Illinois (6-3, 3-2) at Minnesota (1-8, 0-5)
When: 7 p.m. at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
TV: Big Ten Network; Radio: WIND 560-AM
Series: Minnesota leads 31-26-3
Coaches: Ron Zook (10-22, third year at Illinois; 33-26 overall); Tim Brewster (1-8, first year at Minnesota).
Players to watch: Rashard Mendenhall (1,113 yards, 12 TDs) needs 218 yards to break Antoineo Harris' single-season school record. That could happen against the nation's No. 103 rush defense. QB Juice Williams posted season-highs for rushing (99 yards) and passing (145 yards) in last week's win over Ball State.
Minnesota redshirt freshman Adam Weber ranks 21st nationally (and No. 1 amongst freshmen) in total offense with 286.1 yards per game. He runs an offense strikingly similar to that of Illinois, though he gets more done through the air. Senior RB Amir Pinnix rushed for 1,272 yards last year, but has just 562 yards this year.
The skinny: A win ensures Illinois gets to play in a bowl for the first time since the 2002 Sugar Bowl. It also clinches the first winning season in six years and a .500 Big Ten showing for the first time since 2002. Minnesota's defense ranks dead-last among Big Ten teams in every possible category. The Gophers also are last in turnover margin. If Illinois can't snap its 13-year Metrodome jinx on Saturday, then it only has itself to blame.