What's Going On In Champaign?

It hasn't been the best time to be a sports fan in Chicago lately. The White Sox bombed this season, and it turns out the Cubs were just toying with the hearts of their faithful yet again. When the Bears came along, they were supposed to save all of us yet they've hardly been impressive after five games.

I don't even want to talk about Notre Dame. Yeah, they finally got a win this last Saturday, but if there's ever been an uglier victory for a team, I haven't seen it.

A new hope has emerged though, but it's not centered in Chicago. No, it's a two-hour drive (80 minutes if Leemer is driving) down I-57 in Champaign. That's where you'll find the current Big Ten leading Fighting Illini of Ron Zook.

I wrote about the Illini at FanHouse yesterday, but they're still on my mind today. Just how good is this team, and are they for real now? They're currently 5-1 and 3-0 in conference play with wins over Indiana, Penn State, and Wisconsin. As a result, they're ranked for the first time since 2001 when they ended their season getting destroyed by LSU in the Sugar Bowl.

Can the Illini be the team Chicago rallies behind this football season? We need something to root for in this town, and though the Bulls start in a month, basketball doesn't really count before the playoffs. This Bears team may be good enough to rally for a playoff berth, but they aren't Super Bowl bound again.

So the Illini are really the only thing we have left, and I think they're worth our time. They're getting pretty excited about them down in Champaign, that's for sure.

By golly, football is fun again at Illinois and even though there are no guarantees the rest of the way, I like Illinois’ chances in each and every one of their remaining games and I’m including the visit to Columbus on Nov. 3 to take on Ohio State. That would seem to be the toughest game on the slate, but I don’t think I’m wrong to say that a.) Illinois is a vastly improved team with more athleticism and more play-makers than I can recall in a long time, and b.) Illinois is still improving. I think Illinois’ best football is still to be played and they’ll probably need it to get past Michigan, Ohio State and maybe Ball State and Northwestern.

By golly, Mark is right. Football is fun again at Illinois, but I'm not so sure the Illini are going to go into Columbus and beat the Buckeyes. Of course, what really matters is that I'm not sure the Illini can't beat the Buckeyes either.

That's what's been floating through my head since seeing the Illini beat Wisconsin on Saturday. How good is this team right now, and how good is it going to be? I lived in Champaign during that 2001 season, and it was exciting to have more to celebrate than just basketball. Then though, I knew that the Illini weren't going to become a big time program in the conference. All their key players were seniors and would be gone. This time though, this time could be a lot different.

Ron Zook has always been a fantastic recruiter, but the question was always could he mold the talent he recruits into a good football team. So far this season the answer is a definitive yes. Juice Williams is never going to be a passing quarterback, but he's a perfect fit for the offense as it's currently contructed.

Arrelious Benn is turning out to be everything they said he was going to be as an incoming freshman this season. He's only 18 but at times, the young receiver looks like a man amongst boys out there on the field. At times he's impossible to tackle, routinely breaking three or four before finally being dragged down.

Not to mention he's doing all this with a quarterback known more for his legs than his arm.

Zook's also brought in some fantastic defensive players. Vontae Davis-who went to high school with Benn and was a large force in bringing him to Champaign-is turning into one of the country's best cornerbacks. He has three interceptions already, and has done a great job locking down the opponents best receiver.

The Illini also worked in another freshman on Saturday in linebacker Martez Wilson. Did you see Wilson run down Tyler Donovan for his first sack as a college player? Did you see how fast he was? That's the kind of speed you only see in the SEC, not the Big Ten.

And these are just some of the examples of the youngsters Zook has brought in that are paying immediate dividends.

I haven't even mentioned the Heisman candidate that has emerged from the whole bunch: Rashard Mendenhall. The Illini are currently 5th in the nation in rushing yards per game at 261.2, and Mendenhall is a big reason for it as he is the 5th leading rusher in college football with 772 yards all by himself. Oh, and he's also got 12 touchdowns, ten of which came on the ground.

There's still a lot of football left to be played this season for the Illini, but it's already been a successful year. Another win and the Illini will be bowl eligible. Remember, this is a team that won only two games last season, and had only won one Big Ten game in the last two seasons.

This year they've already got five victories, three of which are in conference. I don't think the Illini are going to win the Big Ten this season, but with what Ron Zook is putting together down there, I wouldn't be surprised if they're winning a couple in the next few seasons.

Now if only I had the Big Ten Network so I could watch.