While Rutgers fans were circling Oct. 14 on the calendar as a possible win when the schedule came out, Illinois fans were doing the same.
The consensus preseason picks to finish last in their respective divisions of the Big Ten meet at noon Saturday in a game that will assure one team of at least one Big Ten victory in 2016.
So which team has the edge?
With the benefit of home-field advantage and the most recent win in the head-to-head series, Illinois (2-3, 0-2) is a three-point favorite, according to VegasInsider.