Imrem: Cubit hire exemplifies why Illini can't rise to next level
The answer finally crystallized when Illinois upped, re-upped or whatever extending Bill Cubit's contract as head coach can be called.
The question was why the Fighting Illini haven't been better in football.
The Cubit news arrived Saturday morning, a few hours before Northwestern beat the Illini 24-14 in Soldier Field.
The season-finale loss left Illinois with a 5-7 record and unlikely to land a bowl berth.
So, why aren't the Illini ever consistently in the Big Ten class of traditional national powers Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Nebraska?
At their best, which isn't always but is often enough, those programs are better in football than Illinois is at its best.
The Illini don't have the recruiting network, tradition of football success and perhaps overall commitment that the Big Ten's elite programs have.
But another question persists: Why can't the Illini stand next to Michigan State and Wisconsin as regular conference contenders, or at least next to Iowa and Northwestern?
The answer became clearer when Cubit went from interim to permanent head coach.
Cubit does have the look on the sideline of an experienced coach. Still, the hire is about as encouraging as a C-minus in physical education.
Illinois' uncertainty on both the academic and athletic sides of the university made it improbable the Illini could go outside to hire an established winner or the next big thing.
Illinois struggles in football because the school has to do things like they had to do in the school's current predicament: Retain a Cubit.
The Illini had no choice but to extend Cubit's tenure as head coach because of all the nonsense swirling around down in Champaign.
Illinois doesn't have a permanent athletic director to hire a coach or a permanent chancellor to hire an athletic director. Who knows who it who it has to hire a chancellor to hire an athletic director to hire a coach?
So Illinois settled for Cubit, a dubious choice if only because he was on scandalous predecessor Tim Beckman's staff. Somehow he convinced all the other interims down there that he didn't know players were being mistreated.
It's always something down there, isn't it?
Maybe it's the current mess the athletic department is in. Maybe it's rules violations leading to an NCAA probation. Maybe it's simply a bad hire like Beckman.
Illinois might not be able to contend for national championships nearly every year like Ohio State or for Big Ten titles nearly every year like Michigan State has been lately.
But Illinois should be able to be in the upper middle or lower top of the conference every season and occasionally win the weaker West like Iowa did this season.
The problem is the Illini don't seem to have a plan in football - basketball either but that's a story for another day.
Illinois hired Ron Turner, a good football coach but not a great recruiter; then they hired Ron Zook, a good recruiter but not a great coach; then they hired Beckman, not good or great at much of anything.
That left Illinois in a position where Bill Cubit was the best the football program could do.
In other words Illinois had to settle again, which is what Illini football has become awfully good at.
Oddly enough, Illinois has some decent players and could have a decent record next season if Bill Cubit becomes at least a decent Big Ten head coach.
Of course, the possibility always looms in Champaign that something will surface to prevent that from happening.
mimrem@dailyherald.com