Illinois’ rebuilding program was supposed to last until 1994.
It actually took two weeks.
Saturday’s once-in-a-generation victory at Michigan, which followed a 49-3 rout of Iowa on Oct. 16, has transformed the Fighting Illini into Rose Bowl contenders.
The rare road sweep also dramatically underscored the improvements the offense has made-mainly scoring more points. Tepper heard boos from impatient fans in Memorial Stadium last month. Now there’s heavy speculation he’ll soon receive an extension of his three-year contract, which expires after 1994.
An extension would remove a weapon used by recruiters from one Big 10 school which is telling prospects Illinois’ coaching picture is uncertain.
“I’m not concerned about it,” Tepper said Sunday as the Illini basked in the glow of their 24-21 upset of 13th-ranked Michigan at Michigan Stadium. “I have no anxiety about it whatsoever. I plan on being here the rest of my career.”
Tepper’s career goal is to turn Illinois into a national title contender. That won’t happen this year, but Tepper hopes Saturday’s performance sets the tone for future big games.
“This is one that I think our program certainly needed,” Tepper said. “The young players-they’re jacked, they’re excited. Don’t tell them they can’t compete with anybody.”
The Illini (3-4 overall, 3-1 in the Big 10) deserved to be written off after dropping their first three non-conference games. But they insist they didn’t give up on the conference title.
“I’ve never been a Rose Bowl doubter,” safety Ty Washington said. “Why can’t we go?”
They can, but only with help from outsiders. Midway through the Big 10 season, they’re tied with Indiana and Wisconsin for second place behind Ohio State (7-0, 4-0).
Illinois can contend only if it sweeps the rest of its games-Northwestern and Minnesota at home, Penn State at State College and Wisconsin at home. Then it needs Ohio State to lose twice-the Buckeyes still have to play Penn State and visit Wisconsin and Michigan-and Michigan State (4-2, 2-1) and Indiana (6-1, 3-1) to lose again.
If all that happens, the Illini can book their first trip to the Rose Bowl in a decade. A tie with Ohio State won’t help because the Buckeyes beat Illinois. Ties with Michigan State and Indiana won’t help because the Spartans and Hoosiers would have better overall records, and that is the league’s second tiebreaker.
Even if the Illini don’t win the title, they might still be in line for their sixth straight postseason appearance. That alone is amazing, considering the way the season began.
But this could be a repeat of 1992, when the Illini fell to 3-4, then closed 3-0-1 to earn a Holiday Bowl invitation.
Don’t talk about also-ran bowls this week, though. The Illini have only one destination in mind: Pasadena.
More Top Picks Sealant
“That’s what I came (to Illinois) for,” linebacker Simeon Rice said. “I didn’t come here to be second in the league. We came here to be No. 1. That’s what we’re recruited for.”