When discussing the Big Ten’s West division, there’s one team that stands out from the others. Wisconsin and Iowa have been consistent leaders in the division in recent years, while Nebraska and Purdue has two of the most intriguing young head coaches in the nation. Northwestern consistently competes while Minnesota seems to be on an upswing.
And then there’s Illinois.
Or maybe in terms of perception, “West Rutgers”.
Since Ron Zook’s 2007 Rose Bowl team, Illinois hasn’t had a winning regular season record. (The Illini won bowl games in 2010 and 2011 to finish 7-6.) Phil Steele observes that Illinois has only won 29 conference games (with 102 losses!