OFFENSE
Illinois and Rutgers were both among the 10 least-productive offenses in 2017 in scoring and among the four worst in terms of total yardage. Only one of them has shown progress in those areas this season. The Illini have jumped 42 spots in the former and 58 in the latter, while the Scarlet Knights continue to rank among the nation's worst offenses in both areas. It turns out having three offensive coordinators in three years (Drew Mehringer to Jerry Kill to John McNulty) doesn't lend itself to improvement. Illinois made a switch of its own from Garrick McGee to Rod Smith, but the Illini have flourished — particularly in the run game — under the former Rich Rodriguez assistant.