Tim Cronin: Illini appear to know what they're doing

If Illinois football were a crop akin to corn or wheat, residents of the state would long ago have turned to imports to stock their cupboards. There have been a series of lackluster harvests since 2001, when the Fighting Illini's last winning season was capped by a Big Ten title.

Since then, Ron Turner, the offensive mastermind who couldn't recruit talented players, has been replaced by Ron Zook, whose Florida rap sheet said his coaching wasn't up to his recruiting.