ILLINOIS

Say goodbye to ... Ron Turner
Coaching record: 35-57 in 8 seasons
Reason for leaving: Fired

Turner appeared to have the Illini on the right track, especially after the 2001 season when they won the Big Ten championship and earned a Sugar Bowl berth. But Illinois only won five conference games after that and went 9-25 overall. In that span was a 14-game Big Ten losing streak. Two of Illinois four wins over the past two years came against I-AA opponents, which will get you the kind of attention from fans and alumni you don’t want. Average attendance at the 69,249-seat Memorial Stadium dipped to just over 48,000 last season and, after a third straight losing season, it was time.

Charles Rex Arbogast / AP file Ron Zook

Hello ... Ron Zook
Coaching record: 23-14 in 3 years at Florida.
2005 prediction: 4-7

Zook took the Gators to three non-BCS bowl games, which would cut it in a lot of places but not Gainesville.

He is familiar with the Big Ten, having been an assistant at Ohio State, and the Illini will be counting on his reputation as a first-rate recruiter. But that will take some time.

He has 14 starters back, but there are only four seniors among that group, making them the least experienced team in the league. That will make for a fast turnaround difficult. Couple that with the fact the Illini were outgained by nearly 133 yards a game in the league and the usual learning curve with a new system and it’s hard to envision a huge improvement over last year.

Long-term outlook: Zook will have to live up to his reputation as one of the best sweet talkers in the business if he is to corral the kind of players he needs to turn this around. While he was never liked in Florida and suffered some embarrassing losses, he did beat rival Georgia twice and took down Florida State in Tallahassee. The guy can coach some.

He undoubtedly learned some valuable lessons there, and in an environment where expectations are much more realistic, no one should be surprised if this program thrives again.

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