Illinois entered the day with a chance to move within one game of bowl eligibility.
And Illinois ended the day looking like anything but the team that demolished Minnesota one week ago.
The Illini missed their opportunity at pulling to .500 on the season with a 54-35 loss to Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. If Illinois still wants to qualify for its first bowl game since the 2014 season this year, it will take wins over a ranked Iowa team and a Northwestern team still looking for a trip to the Big Ten Championship.