CHAMPAIGN – Wisconsin kicker Rafael Gaglianone stood at the corner of the Camp Randall end zone as the Badgers trudged off the field last Saturday, having failed to live up to preseason big-game talk by losing at home to BYU.
Wisconsin won in Provo by 34 points last year, so this wasn’t expected to be much of a hurdle. Yet there was Mr. Automatic, as he’s known up north. Gaglianone apologized to his teammates for a missed field goal in the final minute of a three-point loss.
Those apologies should also come from the rest of the Big Ten Conference’s West Division, a sorry group that finished 2-5 in a miserable weekend. The only wins came over Miami (of Ohio) and FCS Northern Iowa. The Big Ten West was so bad, the bloated league lost to seven unranked opponents for the first time since the Associated Press poll debuted in 1936.
Akron won against a team from the Big Ten for the first time since ’94. That’s 1894, when a dude named John Heisman guided Buchtel College (now Akron) to a win over Ohio State. The Big Ten hadn’t even formed yet, so maybe that doesn’t really count.
Delany or Silverman should be refunding us some of the Big Ten Network money hidden in our cable/satellite TV bill.
Teams like Illinois will promote hope by saying the 25-19 loss to South Florida wasn’t as bad as the beat down last year, but those 40,000 empty seats at Soldier Field Saturday told everyone two things. Morale victories don’t mean much these days, and the Illini should stop playing games in Chicago, because they’ve lost their grip on the Windy City.
“That was a big game for us,’’ coach Lovie Smith said. “We had it circled. You don’t like the way we finished as a team.’’
Heading into the year, the Big Ten West looked like it was ready to flex some muscle after living in the shadows of the league’s better half, but last weekend left some Illini-heads thinking Illinois has a shot to win some divisional games against underwhelming competition.
Illinois is still thin at key places, such as key areas on a defense that ran out of gas. With suspensions lifted for five players, including defensive contributors Bennett Williams and Nate Hobbs plus tight end Louis Dorsey, the Illini will likely receive a mid-season boost, but aggressive recruiting is the best way to ensure the Illini can finish a game like the one lost against South Florida.
With No. 10 Penn State coming to town Friday (8 p.m., BTN), the Illini face a short week and a 28-point spread against a rebuilt powerhouse. The best thing to do is to survive it, because the Illini might see some light at the end of the tunnel with the rest of the Big Ten, even if that close loss came against a South Florida program that didn’t have the same electricity as a year ago because of a change at quarterback.
OK, so there are also games against Wisconsin and Iowa. The Badgers probably deserve a mulligan, and Iowa just keeps rolling along. Let’s say those three games are long shots.
But after last weekend, there’s a heartbeat, because those other six Big Ten dates are littered with underachieving Big Ten programs.
Let’s take another look at the schedule. After Penn State, the Illini face Rutgers, the only team below Illinois in the BTN power rankings. Rutgers is Rutgers, so a 55-14 loss to Kansas should give the Illini reason to believe there’s a chance to win in Jersey. The concern around Rutgers is that coach Chris Ash will be owed $9.8 million if he’s fired following the season.
Winless Purdue ranks 13th in the Big Ten in total defense, one spot ahead of Illinois, but the Boilers also lead the league in bone-headed plays by the defense, the kind of irresponsible penalties that lead to losses. Coach Jeff Brohm will have trouble repeating the success story of a year ago.
“The intelligence factor and playing smart,’’ Brohm said, “is really what’s hurt us the most. We had multiple dumb penalties that have cost us.’’
Wisconsin talked itself up as a contender for a spot in the playoffs, but the uninspired loss to BYU put an end to it for now. Nonetheless, Wisconsin sits on another level from the Illini.
“You’ve still got the whole season left,’’ said Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook said. “That’s just the way everybody is wired in this locker room.’’
Outside that locker room, the Big Ten West is still looking for a national power.
Following the Wisconsin game, Illinois plays at Maryland, which lost some of its cover from a fast start by losing to previously winless Temple. The Terps could use a diversion, considering the suspension of coach D.J. Durkin after a player died in conditioning drills. Minnesota has schtick but little else to back it up. Nebraska is winless in two games, but it could have been worse. The game with Akron was canceled because of stormy weather.
After the date with Iowa, Illinois closes the season with Northwestern, one of three double digit Big Ten favorite to lose (joining Nebraska and Wisconsin). The Wildcats have been known for slow starts, but consecutive losses create some doubt in Evanston. The Big Ten was 33-7 in non-conference games last season. This year, the league suffered through seven losses in one weekend.
A close loss and the return of five players from suspension create more hope, but let’s not read too much into another loss before a remarkably small crowd.
