CHAMPAIGN – Anything would have been better than the two previous weekends, when the Illini reminded everyone how far of a climb still remained just to reach the competitive mid-pack in the Big Ten Conference.

The Illini weren’t even close. Three successive blowout losses caused some fans to throw their hands up and led to the “resignation’’ of defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson.

Sure, there’s been a win over Rutgers, the Big Ten’s whipping boy (when it’s not the Illini). But a 2-19 record against the rest of the league did little for Lovie Smith’s reputation, even in a crowd where orange and blue are the two favorite colors in the Crayola box.

A double-digit underdog again last Saturday, the Illini offense exploded in a 55-31 victory, when Lovie led the defense after cutting loose one of his best friends in the business.

“It gives guys more hope and more energy,’’ said Illini defensive end Bobby Roundtree. “I’m sure guys probably didn’t feel that we had a chance. Seeing what we could do to a team like this gives them more hope in how they feel about the rest of the season.’’

Illinois managed to stop the bleeding against a program with its own issues. In the process, the Illini created a bit of hope for the last three weekends of the regular season.

An easy win against a flawed Minnesota program doesn’t completely flip the script for Lovie and his Illini. Nothing can wipe away those performances against Purdue and Maryland, not to mention the final 20 minutes against Penn State.

That got a guy fired and didn’t do anything for the job security of anybody working in a quiet ticket office. Scoring 55 points didn’t do much for Minnesota defensive coordinator Robb Smith, who was fired Sunday.

But after the changes last week, “guys were more into this game,’’ Roundtree said.

The 24-point win over Minnesota was a pain reliever, a Tylenol for some awful football over the last few weeks. But there are still some issues to be addressed. If anyone needed a reminder, three-star Chicago Phillips wide receiver Fabian McCray’s de-commitment Sunday brought that back into focus.

Nonetheless, it was a chance to celebrate a win, take a step up the rung in the Big Ten West and avoid the nasty questions for a week. In some circles, doubling the win total – from two last year to four this year – is cause for a party, or something.

“Record aside, we’re trending in the right direction,’’ Lovie said Monday. “We’ve been doing that for a while. It’s good to get a win and to show that to people on the outside. Talking about the process, that’s what we’re going through. Eventually, you get over the hump and start winning consistently. The future is very bright.’’

Actually, it’s still mostly cloudy. The Illini play at rebuilding Nebraska before finishing with Iowa and Northwestern. This trip to Lincoln is likely the best chance for another win this season, even if the Cornhuskers are rebuilding and gaining momentum in the first season under Scott Frost.

“We’re saying the same thing about our program.’’ Lovie said. “You get there and really see yourself being able to take off. We love being three touchdown underdogs going into an environment like that.’’

That’s an interesting way to look at it, but the Illini feel good after knowing a hole in the Row-the-Boat Gophers.

There’s still a need to feel like they truly belong in this feel good moment. Fifth-year quarterback A.J. Bush, who began his career at Nebraska before sliding to Iowa Western Community College, Virginia Tech and Champaign, knows just about everything in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln besides how they decorated the visitor locker room. If Bush wants to make a statement, he’s not acting like it.

“I don’t have to say it,’’ he said. “At the end of the day, I’m going there to play. I don’t like to hold grudges.’’

Bush is another pair of feet in a potent running attack, and offensive coordinator Rod Smith keeps pumping life into this program from his side of the ball. The 430 yards rushing against the Gophers reminded the rest of the league the first priority is loading the box to stop the run against the Illini.

Illinois didn’t reinvent the wheel on defense in a week, but Lovie’s presence might have done something. He spent a little bit more time on the defensive side of the ball in practice.

“It wasn’t much of a difference,’’ Roundtree said.

Lovie did ask for player input.

“They’re invested,’’ Lovie said. “We’re in this together. That’s how you do it. They should know what I’m going to call in every situation. We have some options each time. But people tend to play better with something they like.’’

There’s still a chance to finish strong. Whether that resonates with the latest recruiting class remains to be seen.

The Illini still have a long way to go, and much of the same problems exist from a week ago. There’s a need to hire two key assistants at a time when the head coach is catching heat. The struggles on the recruiting front make rebuilding that much harder.

But after a blowout win of their own, the Illini escaped some of the pain from those recent struggles, even if only for the moment. And everyone deserves some success when fighting the fight.

Nebraska is seeing some growth under Frost.

“Sometimes when you’re building, it takes a while,’’ Lovie reminded us. “You’re not a finished product. There’s a process.’’

Vegas says the Huskers are farther along with that rebuilding. When Illinois makes the trip to Nebraska, it’s a chance to show the win over Minnesota was more than just a blip.