ILLINOIS’ MOMENT
Illini ready to take another crack at South Florida, this time at Soldier Field
How was Bobby Roundtree supposed to feel? He was one of 10 true freshmen — five on each side of the ball — who started for Illinois in a hopeless 47-23 defeat last September at South Florida. He was dehydrated on the field and required an IV at halftime.
As the Bulls’ offense rolled up massive totals of 680 yards and 38 first downs, Roundtree, a defensive end from the Tampa area, tried not to think of the 40 or so family members and friends in the stands at Raymond James Stadium.
‘‘It was tough,’’ he said. ‘‘That was my third college game. I was burned out, tired.’’
The Illini entered that game with a 2-0 record and ended the season — coach Lovie Smith’s second at the helm — at 2-10. As we get ready for the USF at Illinois rematch Saturday at Soldier Field (2:30 p.m., BTN, 104.3-FM), with both teams again at 2-0, the question hangs in the air: Is this another hopeless scenario for the Illini?
Heck no, they say. They’re 10-point underdogs who’ve changed so much that they might be able to turn the tables on the Bulls and spring the biggest upset the program has seen since at least 2016.
‘‘We’re just more committed to what we’re doing, more prepared,’’ senior linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips said.
Roundtree calls the Illini more ‘‘focused’’ and ‘‘locked in.’’ Defensively, they’ll have to be against an opponent that has rolled up more than 400 yards in 12 consecutive games. Quarterbacked by former Alabama five-star recruit Blake Barnett, the Bulls are versatile and potent. They also have special-teams demon Terrence Horne, who ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns last weekend against Georgia Tech.
Don’t try to entice Smith into a conversation about returning to the home of his former team, the Bears.
‘‘I’ve been to Chicago a lot of times since then,’’ he said.
He hasn’t had a big victory there in quite a while, though. If his team were healthier — starting quarterback AJ Bush’s status is up in the air — an upset would be more imaginable. As it stands, USF wins 34-20.
Now let’s fire through the biggest games of Week 3:
No. 4 Ohio State (-13) vs. No. 15 TCU
(7 p.m., Ch. 7) in Arlington, Texas: Still no Urban Meyer for the Buckeyes, who look to get to 3-0 without their suspended superstar coach. This is the one true test for acting head
coach Ryan Day and his team.
‘‘They’re all big,’’ Day said. ‘‘Every game, you’ve got to be ready. You’ve got to be prepared and do a great job. When you come to Ohio State and you play at the highest level of college football, you have to bring your ‘A’ game every week.’’
Some weeks are tougher — much tougher — than others. Horned Frogs in a giant upset. No. 12 LSU (+10) at No. 7 Auburn
(2:30 p.m., Ch. 2): Too much wicked defense from the Tigers. Wait, which Tigers? Aubie gets to 3-0 in a tight one and positions itself — again — as the SEC West’s top threat to Alabama. No. 17 Boise State (+2½) at No. 24 Oklahoma State (2:30 p.m., ESPN): First team to 600 yards of offense wins? Both are averaging better than that number. The more impressive quarterback has been Boise’s Brett Rypien, nephew of former Super Bowl champion Mark Rypien. Broncos get it done. No. 10 Washington (-6) at Utah (9 p.m., ESPN): The Utes have been so close to breaking through against the Huskies, falling by a touchdown at home in 2016 and just a field goal last season in Seattle. Crank the tension meter to 10, baby: Huskies 28, Utes 27.
My favorite favorite: No. 1 Alabama
(-1) at Mississippi (6 p.m., ESPN). The Rebels beat the Tide back-to-back in 2014 and 2015 and fell in an instant classic — 48-43 — in 2016. Then came last season, when it was 66-3. See last season.
My favorite underdog: BYU (+22) at
No. 6 Wisconsin (2:30 p.m., Ch. 7). The Cougars have played a pair of Pac-12 foes down to the wire, beating one and losing to the other. Tanner Mangum is a talented quarterback. He keeps it close-ish. Last week: 5-2 straight up; 3-4 against
the spread. Season to date: 8-4 straight up; 5-7 against the spread.