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How Illinois Wins The Big Ten This Year

Believe it or not, the Illini are still alive in the Leaders Division. Here's what it will take to win it.

Bradley Leeb-US PRESSWIRE

How good is Big Ten football right now? Well, as I wrote about at CBSSports.com earlier this week, Indiana just won its first Big Ten game in a year and the Hoosiers are alive and well in the Big Ten title race because of it. Then there's Illinois, which has now gone an entire calendar year without winning a Big Ten game itself.

And the Illini are still alive in the Leaders Division as well. The same Illini that are currently 0-4 in Big Ten play. So how could it happen? Let's find out!

CURRENT STANDINGS

Ohio State 5-0
Penn State 3-1
Wisconsin 3-2
Indiana 1-3
Purdue 0-4
Ilinois 0-4

NOVEMBER 3RD GAMES

Iowa beats Indiana
Penn State beats Purdue
Illinois beats Ohio State

NOVEMBER 4TH STANDINGS

Ohio State 5-1
Penn State 4-1
Wisconsin 3-2
Indiana 1-4
Illinois 1-4
Purdue 0-5

NOVEMBER 10TH GAMES

Indiana beats Wisconsin
Iowa beats Purdue
Nebraska beats Penn State
Illinois beats Minnesota

NOVEMBER 11TH STANDINGS

Ohio State 5-1
Penn State 4-2
Wisconsin 3-3
Indiana 2-4
Illinois 2-4
Purdue 0-6

NOVEMBER 17TH GAMES

Penn State beats Indiana
Ohio State beats Wisconsin
Illinois beats Purdue

NOVEMBER 18TH STANDINGS

Ohio State 6-1
Penn State 5-2
Wisconsin 3-4
Illinois 3-4
Indiana 2-5
Purdue 0-7

NOVEMBER 24TH GAMES

Penn State beats Wisconsin
Purdue beats Indiana
Ohio State beats Michigan
Illinois beats Northwestern

FINAL BIG TEN LEADERS DIVISION STANDINGS

Ohio State 7-1
Penn State 6-2
Illinois 4-4
Wisconsin 3-5
Indiana 2-6
Purdue 1-7

As we all know, Ohio State and Penn State aren't eligible to play in the Big Ten Championship Game which means our Illini, at 4-4 in the conference and 6-6 on the season, head to Indianapolis to take on Nebraska. The Illini then ride the momentum of their four-game win streak to upset the Cornhuskers and head to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

Once there the Illini get revenge on USC -- Pac-12 champ Oregon is in the title game, and the Rose Bowl selected the Trojans to replace it -- for the 2008 Rose Bowl winning 45-7. Illinois celebrates its first Rose Bowl victory since 1964 by giving Tim Beckman a 10-year contract extension and raise.

The Illini then go 10-50 over the next five seasons before firing Tim Beckman.

I have seen the future, ladies and gentlemen. And it is awesome. For a few months anyway. Then it's fucking terrible.