Asmussen | Fitzgerald, Wildcats have Illini's number recently

Illinois head coach Lovie Smith, left, and Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald shake hands after an NCAA college football game in Evanston, Ill., Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016. Northwestern won 42-21.Those of you ready to drop Lovie Smith now aren't going to like this. But let's say he returns next season and starts winning.

Let's say he beats so-so Akron in the opener. Then leads Illinois to a win at struggling UConn.

He comes back to good-seats-available Memorial Stadium and beats Eastern Michigan.

That's 3-0 for the first time since 2011.

Next, Nebraska visits C-U on Sept 21. Scott Frost is fixing the program, but the Cornhuskers will be far from a finished product in September.

After the open…