CHAMPAIGN - From the start, this Illini football schedule has been hard to figure.

Difficult enough to start with Missouri, Ohio State and Penn State as three of the first four opponents, but we were faced with a genuine head-scratcher when we contemplated how it would seem with a bye week on Nov. 21, then two non-conference games to drag the season into December.

Yeah, but if Illinois is hot in the bowl hunt, it could be kinda cool, right?

Wrong!

We're finding out now that the Illini football schedule is feeding us a cold plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, with Friday's visit to fifth-ranked, unbeaten Cincinnati, then a home finale against Fresno State on Saturday, Dec. 5.

And what's the motivation? Trying to finish 5-7 rather than 3-9?

Face it, most fans were ready for Illini football to go away 10 weeks ago, and now we have to pretend to be interested for two more weeks. If we're being honest, the attention paid to Illini sports long ago shifted to basketball.

On Tuesday, Illini football coach Ron Zook had no choice but to present a strong front, saying that his players have maintained their enthusiasm and that he and his team are fired up at the possibility of playing the nation's fifth-ranked football team.

"What our players have showed us in the last two weeks is that they are excited," Zook said. "Everyone is going to be watching, and with the implications for the BCS, it draws a lot of attention in that regard."

With a 3-7 record, Illinois is reduced to the role of spoiler. And, yes, with an ABC television audience and a chance to tune in on Black Friday, fans will have an opportunity to evaluate the worthiness of a Cincinnati team that is unbeaten but has not played a team ranked higher than No. 21 nationally.

It's also a chance to size up Bearcats coach Brian Kelly, who might be auditioning for the Notre Dame job, assuming the Irish are ready to shed themselves of Charlie Weis.

It's impossible to talk about Cincinnati and not talk about Kelly, who spent 13 years as head coach at Grand Valley State and three at Central Michigan before taking over at Cincinnati for the past three years.

Kelly has manufactured a grand level of civic excitement in Cincinnati. Since he took over, starting with the final game of the 2006 season, the Bearcats have a record of 32-6.

Zook must be wondering what magic Kelly has in his whistle. Zook coached at Cincinnati and was defensive coordinator for the Bearcats in 1981 and 1982 under Mike Gottfried.

He lived in Cincinnati. He and his wife, Denise, were married there.

"No question, they've done a great job, they have really done a super job," Zook said of Kelly and his staff. "I'm glad to see it. I always felt that Cincinnati had an opportunity to be as good a program as anyone."

When I see Cincinnati's success, I wonder this: Why not Illinois?

Maybe Zook is right when he says, "All you have to do is look across the country ... it's hard to stay on top."

Zook needed two years to establish a foundation of recruiting, then took Illinois to the Rose Bowl. It was a bold step in the right direction, and I think most everyone expected there to be more than a one-year shelf life.

Then the team went 5-7 last year before nose-diving this season.

I'm trying to squint and see what positives can come out of Friday's trip to Cincinnati. Maybe an upset on national television does something to bolster Athletics Director Ron Guenther's decision announced on Oct. 24 that Zook will return to coach the Illini next season.

Maybe another victory on Dec. 5 would further fortify Guenther's assessment.

For me, though, the buzz about Illini football has been quiet for a long time now. The excitement about Friday's game comes in sizing up Cincinnati. And counting the hours until the Illini basketball team plays in Las Vegas later that night.

"I don't know if it's that we want to be a spoiler," Zook said Tuesday. "It's an opportunity to play a great team on national television. I imagine there will be a lot of people watching, and maybe we can redeem ourselves a little bit and show people that we're much better than we've played."

While still not at the end of a very long, very disappointing season, it seems as though we're well past any chance at redemption.

mtupper@herald-review.com|421-7983