Did you see what happened between 2017 and 2018? On Saturday, with the running-game bludgeoning of Rutgers, Illinois dug its way out of the basement and put one of its Big Ten brethren in the familiar and unenviable position of looking up at EVERYONE else.
This also wasn’t Lovie’s year one, with a team full of guys that would graduate or transfer: This was the Illini core for years to come, graduating growing and improving with each passing spring/offseason/season.
Finally, the Illini can start competing with the Purdues and Minnesotas of the world for wins, and not be completely delusional in dreaming of a possible 6-win scenario.