By Woodrow Carroll
Each week various sports journals predict and project match-ups for the approximately 40 college bowl games. It is an inexact science for sure, but, a fun challenge.
Victorious in its first two games, the University of Illinois had merited a mention as a bowl prospect to a couple of lesser-known bowl games last week. However, after Saturday’s 34-31 loss to visiting Eastern Michigan in Champaign, the Fighting Illini disappeared from bowl-game prospects.
The game with Eastern Michigan, in which the Illini were a touchdown favorite, concluded Illinois’ non-conference schedule with a 2-1 record.
The benchmark for bowl eligibility is six victories, which means Illinois will need four Big Ten Conference victories among the nine games to be considered for a bowl game. In reality, Illinois’ non-conference foes were regarded as the weakest opponents on the schedule.
Illinois will play host to Nebraska at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Huskers, 2-1, dispatched Northern Illinois, 44-8, in Lincoln, Neb. Saturday. Both Illinois and Nebraska finished 4-8 overall in 2018 Nebraska defeated the Illini, 54-35, in Lincoln last season. The Huskers, under head coach Scott Frost, are a team on its way up, while Illinois continues to stagnate under head coach Lovie Smith.
The Illini were 2-7 last season in the Big Ten Conference with victories over Rutgers and Minnesota. Finding four Big Ten foes the Illini can knock off this season may be asking a great deal.
• The picture at Northern Illinois has gotten a bit hazy, after a season-opening victory over visiting Illinois State. The Huskies have been roughed up by Utah, 35-17, and Nebraska, 44-8, each on the road. Northern Illinois will be idle Saturday before going to Nashville to face Vanderbilt September 28. The Commodores are the last Power 5 foe for Northern Illinois before Mid-American Conference play starts October 5. Northern Illinois will be host to Ball State.
• Coach Rod Carey, former Northern Illinois head coach, is in his first year at Temple University, and up to his old tricks.
Carey’s record was 52-30 in more than six seasons at Northern Illinois. In MAC games Carey was 38-10 with two championships. Carey’s only flaw, if you can call it that, was a 0-6 record in bowl games.
Carey’s Huskies knocked off four Big Ten teams, and, he is doing the same at Temple.
Saturday, Carey’s Owls surprised the Big Ten’s Maryland, 20-17. Maryland had just moved into the top 25 after the Terrapins defeated Syracuse.
Temple, 2007-2012, was in the Mid-American Conference for football. It is in the East Division of the American Athletic Conference.
As the fates would have it, Temple will play at Buffalo Saturday. Carey’s last victory at Northern Illinois was the Huskies’ 30-29 comeback victory over Buffalo in the MAC championship game last season.