The stakes for the Illini on Senior Day are the highest they’ve been in over a decade. Not only is the Cannon up for grabs, but so is a great chance to get a step closer to punching a ticket to Indianapolis for the opportunity to claim a Big Ten championship.
Last week’s game was unusual in many ways. Yes, Michigan State played the wind better than the Illini did, and the surprise return of Spartans who had missed time threw the Illini off. But the Boilermakers are in a different situation altogether, as they’re coming off a loss at Camp Randall followed by a devastating home shellacking from one of the worst Iowa Hawkeyes teams in years.