The Illinois Fighting Illini won last week. Rutgers won last week. Now, the two teams that typically find themselves at or near the bottom of the Big Ten West and East divisions are getting ready to square off in Champaign this Saturday.
The Illini are 4-4, riding a two-game win streak after back-to-back Big Ten West wins over Purdue and Wisconsin. A win against Rutgers, a team the Illini are favored to beat by 20 points, would push Lovie Smith’s team one win closer to bowl eligibility.
Rutgers is 2-6 and 0-5 in Big Ten play.