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CHAMPAIGN | One day after knocking off the No. 1 team in the country and getting his team in line for a New Year's Day bowl game, Illini coach Ron Zook was still smiling Sunday.
And although he knew his players were still enjoying their moment in the national spotlight, Zook was preparing to snap everyone back to attention, getting down to business for Saturday's regular-season finale against Northwestern.
"I'm not pinching myself, but there has been a lot more phone calls and texts and things like that," Zook said one day after Illinois defeated Ohio State 28-21 in Columbus, Ohio.
There was a hearty turnout of appreciative fans waiting for the team's return Saturday night to Willard Airport in Champaign. "That was unbelievable," Zook said. "It was neat. You could see it as our players got off the airplane, the sense of pride and accomplishment."
Highlights of the victory were shown to the Assembly Hall crowd during Illinois' regular-season men's basketball opener Sunday afternoon. The salute may have drawn the loudest round of applause of the day.
An immediate reward was a return to the Associated Press Top 25. When the new poll was released Sunday afternoon, Illinois had climbed to No. 20. In the USA Today coaches' poll, Illinois checked in at No. 21.
"I had us in the Top 20," said Zook, who votes in the coaches' poll.
"It's important guys understand, we were there for one week (after beating Penn State and Wisconsin), and it will be one week again if we don't take care of business."
Two matters were on Zook's mind Sunday.
One, he had a Sunday morning discussion with Director of Athletics Ron Guenther about possible bowl destinations.
Two, he was determined to get Illinois focused on Saturday's Senior Day game against Northwestern.
The bowl situation will remain hazy until the final game is played on Sunday. But if Illinois beats Northwestern, the bet is that the Illini will be headed to the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 in Orlando, Fla.
The opponent? A real ticket-seller would be Illinois vs. Florida, putting Zook up against the school that fired him in 2004 after a three-year tenure that produced a 23-14 record.
That bet is off if Illinois loses to Northwestern, which feels it has to win this game to improve its own bowl chances. Ten Big Ten teams are bowl-eligible, and some teams with just six victories may not find a bowl home.
"It's a big game for both programs," Zook said. "I talk with (Ron) Guenther every Sunday morning after every single game. We talked about different scenarios in the Big Ten, in terms of where we are, where Penn State is, where Wisconsin is.
"The thing we have to do, like we've told our team all year, we just have to take care of us. We can't worry about anyone else."
