Illini hope Rose Bowl sticks with tradition
CHAMPAIGN -- In 1947, Illinois became the first beneficiary of the Big Ten's official relationship with the Rose Bowl.
Six decades later, the Illini are banking on that long-term love affair to lead them back to Pasadena, Calif., for the first time in 24 years.
Since top-ranked Missouri and No. 2 West Virginia lost games Saturday night that would have carried them into the Bowl Championship Series title game, No. 3 Ohio State expects to fill half of the void when the final BCS standings are revealed at 7 p.m. today (Channel 32).
That means there will be a spot open in the Rose Bowl opposite Pac-10 champion Southern California.
The Rose Bowl committee isn't required to fill its open berth with Illinois, but it's tough to resist providing a traditional matchup.
Rose Bowl officials suggested recently they expect it to be a tough choice between Georgia, which figures to be the highest-ranked team that's not locked into a bowl, and Illinois.
If the Illini don't earn the nod from the Rose Bowl committee, then they'll be in the running for the at-large berth opposite Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.
"(The) Fiesta could go ASU or Illinois," CollegeBCS.com's Jerry Palm said in an e-mail. "ASU is not an attractive team to that bowl, but there could be local pressure to take them."
And if that doesn't pan out, then Illinois will "settle" for the Capital One Bowl bid that goes to the Big Ten's most attractive non-BCS team.
Since Wisconsin (Outback) and Penn State (Alamo) are out of the race, it's officially down to Illinois or Michigan.
But Capital One committee members have been waiting on the Illini ever since they wrapped up their season with a rousing win over Northwestern on Nov. 17. They want to pair Ron Zook's team with his former school, Florida.
The Illini, who worked out hard for two hours Saturday morning before spending the rest of the day in front of the television, did a terrific job of not appearing too picky about their destination.
"Had you told us we'd go to the Capital One Bowl at the beginning of the season, we'd thought we'd died and gone to heaven," said offensive coordinator Mike Locksley.
"Those guys really believe that anywhere we're going, we've reached our goal. I mean, Jan. 1, it's a big bowl regardless of whether it's a BCS bowl or whether it's the Capital One Bowl."
Senior offensive tackle Akim Millington, who transferred to Illinois from Oklahoma two years ago, promised he'd be watching the Sooners' Big 12 championship game with Missouri.
But not for the mercenary reason (a possible Fiesta Bowl matchup) that you might expect.
"I have a couple friends playing in the game, so I'll obviously root for them and wish them the best," Millington said.
"The way I look at it, I'll be happy or overzealous or whatever about whatever bowl game we are playing. Compared to how the season was last year and the way we've progressed throughout the year, I'm just excited to go to a bowl game."
And if you're a conspiracy theorist, try reading into senior middle linebacker J Leman's words:
"I'm just rooting that we go to a good bowl game that's already set," he said. "We're just happy that we're going."
BCS bowl breakdown
Channel 32 will reveal the official pairings at 7 p.m. today, but here's how the matchups could look based on Saturday's results and projected rankings:
BCS title game
Jan. 7, New Orleans
Ohio State (11-1) vs. Georgia (10-2)
Orange Bowl
Jan. 3, Miami
Virginia Tech (11-2) vs. West Virginia (11-2)
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 2, Glendale, Ariz.
Oklahoma* (11-2) vs. Kansas (11-1)
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1, Pasadena, Calif.
Southern California* (10-2) vs. Illinois (9-3)
Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1, New Orleans
LSU (11-2) vs. Hawaii** (11-0)
* clinched berth
** Hawaii played late Saturday