CHAMPAIGN - We've got months of summer sweat as a cushion between now and the start of the 2008 Illini football season, but get used to this notion right now: The schedule isn't easy, but the opportunities are grand.

Five games stand out on a schedule that will test an Illini team that is eager to prove its nine-victory 2007 season was just a prelude of even better things to come.

Five games. One played at a neutral site. Three on the road. One at home. And all of them potentially against nationally ranked teams, at least two of which will be talked about this August as would-be national championship contenders.

Win them all, and Illinois could jump into that national championship conversation. Lose them all, and the bright, shiny, newly renovated Memorial Stadium will be filled with a whole lot of cussin' and fussin'.

As I see it, the feeling Illinois will take into this season is a nervousness that bubbles with excitement. By virtue of last season's performance, Illinois has proven it has the athletes and the confidence to succeed at the highest level. But, as coach Ron Zook has pointed out throughout spring, doing it once is one thing. Doing it again and again is something else.

Here's a look at those five key games and the opportunities that await:

Aug. 30 - Missouri at St. Louis

The season opens against a Missouri team that will be rated more highly than the Illini, a team still bitter that its better overall record (12-2) and head-to-head victory over Illinois was not enough to land the Tigers a BCS berth.

Instead, Missouri was sent to the Cotton Bowl, while the Illini got a BCS slot in the Rose Bowl.

Missouri loses two key offensive performers in tight end Martin Rucker (84 catches) and tailback Tony Temple, who rushed for 281 yards and four touchdowns in Missouri's convincing 38-7 rout of Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.

But the Tigers return quarterback Chase Daniel, who completed 22 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns in their spring game. Sophomore Derrick Washington is emerging as the starting tailback.

Missouri's only losses last season were to Oklahoma (twice). But the Illini should have a certain degree of confidence after last season's game. Illinois lost starting quarterback Juice Williams early in the second quarter, and his replacement, Eddie McGee - who'd never taken a college snap - helped keep the Illini in the game before losing 40-34.

Finally, the Illini-Missouri football game takes on the spice of the Braggin' Rights basketball rivalry.

Sept. 17 - at Penn State

We've been talking about Joe Paterno's retirement for decades, or so it seems. Is it possible this time it's for real?

Penn State president Graham Spanier has not given a contract extension to Paterno, 81. His deal expires after this season, and Spanier has said he'll decide about Paterno's future after the season. Sounds ominous.

By the spring game, Paterno was already sick of answering questions regarding his fate, and it could prove to be a distraction as the season unfolds.

Penn State has to decide on a quarterback, and the candidates are short on experience. Junior Daryll Clark has 147 career passing yards. Sophomore Pat Devlin has thrown one pass as a Nittany Lion, although he does hold the Pennsylvania High School career passing yardage record.

Penn State was just 4-4 in the conference last year, and that includes a loss at Illinois.

Oct. 4 - at Michigan

Illinois has a long and well-documented history of agony against the Wolverines. Last year was no exception, as a 17-17 second-half tie turned into a 27-17 Michigan victory at Memorial Stadium.

But can there be a better time to be playing Michigan, even if the game is in Ann Arbor?

The Wolverines will surely endure some aches and pains during this year of transition under new head coach Rich Rodriguez. So far, Rodriguez has generated plenty of controversy since moving from West Virginia, and there's no way his offense magically hits the ground running the way it worked so explosively with the Mountaineers. And Michigan was 10th in the Big Ten in total offense last season.

This is the first year of a three-year renovation project at Michigan Stadium. There's no better time than now to change the way Illinois plays up there.

Oct. 25 - at Wisconsin

The Badgers will be seeking revenge for last season's loss in Champaign, but coming out of spring practice, there's a five-deep logjam at quarterback. Coach Bret Bielema says he won't be naming a starter until two weeks before the season opener.

Badger fans are excited about a redshirt freshman who appears to be the latest, greatest Wisconsin tailback. He's John Clay, a bruising 6-foot-2, 231-pounder.

But here's the dirty little secret about the Badgers: Six times last season opponents scored 30 or more points, including Illinois, which won 31-26 against a Wisconsin team that was ranked No. 5 nationally at the time.

Nov. 15 - Ohio State

Talk about revenge. Whew!

Illinois' victory in Columbus miraculously didn't keep Ohio State out of the national championship game for the third time in the past six seasons, but it may have fatally fractured the Buckeyes' confidence.

National titles are what it's all about in Columbus, where fans long for the euphoric feeling of winning it all in 2002. But losses in the title game in 2006 and 2007 have left the fans feeling a little empty.

All indications suggest Ohio State is loaded with talent once again. But this game, played near the end of the season in an atmosphere that should test the structural integrity of the new Memorial Stadium, could be a defining moment for each team's season.

If that's true, we're in for one heck of a season.

Mark Tupper can be reached at mtupper@herald-review.com or 421-7983.