CHAMPAIGN - Much has changed in the 12 months since the Illini football program celebrated the greatest moment in the Ron Zook coaching era by upending top-ranked Ohio State 28-21 in Ohio Stadium.

Illinois used that victory as a springboard to the Rose Bowl and charged into this season hoping bigger and better rewards were in store. But when the teams line up today at Memorial Stadium, Illinois is 5-5, Ohio State is ranked No. 10 rather than No. 1 and a stunning freshman has emerged as the Buckeyes' starting quarterback.

Nevertheless, some things remain the same. Both teams still have bowl aspirations, recruiting bravado is at stake because each school recruits in the other's home state, and how fans ultimately perceive these teams will be based in part on today's outcome.

Few fans expected Illinois to win at Ohio State last season and the Illini are nearly a 10-point underdog today. But when Ohio State coach Jim Tressel looks at this season's Illinois team, he sees a team just as dangerous as the group that bit his Buckeyes last year.

"Right now they are 5-5," Tressel said this week. "A year ago, when we played them, they were 7-3. The difference is a ball bouncing here and there and a play that doesn't get made and I think as I watch them on film they look every bit as good or better today than they did a year ago, so we know what the challenge is going to be."

For Ohio State, the challenge includes the difficult-to-explain parity that has existed for 25 years when the Illini and Buckeyes go head to head.Going back to 1983, the teams have met 23 times. Despite the fact that Ohio State has easily been the more successful program, a national power and a perennial Big Ten contender, the Buckeyes own only a 12-11 edge. A victory today would bring Illinois dead even at 12-12 in that stretch.

How can that happen?

"If I had the answer to that question, I would have fixed a whole bunch of things this year," Zook said. "I think if you go back and look in high school, college or the NFL, you will find that certain teams play certain teams better. I don't know why that is. It's a whole bunch of things."

Zook isn't asking his team to play the way it did last year. He's simply asking it to play the way it is capable of playing this year.

"(Monday night) I asked them, `What's the difference between our team now and the Monday before we played Penn State (back on Sept. 27),' " Zook said. "The difference is we're a better team now. But it's the mental part that goes along with athletics and sports."

Zook's point is that Illinois has not been mentally tough enough to avoid disappointing losses to Minnesota, Wisconsin and last week against Western Michigan. He's hoping with a sellout Senior Day crowd cheering them on, the Illini will rise to the occasion.

To beat Ohio State, Illinois will need to contain freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, a huge, gifted athlete whose confidence seems to grow each week. He can run and throw and his elusive nature in the pocket has given defenses fits.

"You have to get to him but you also have to get him down," Illini defensive end Will Davis said. "Any time you have a guy like that, it forces you to play your assignments. We rely on people being where they are supposed to be and that's going to be a big emphasis this week."

For Illini QB Juice Williams, who burst into national prominence with his performance against Ohio State last year, he hopes his teammates arrive ready to go toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes. That's what made the difference in last season's upset, he said.

"What I remember is the way our team fought," Williams said. "They scored and we didn't even think about it; we just continued to fight. That's the way the whole game went for the Illini team.

"That was the most unique thing about that whole game, the way we came back and continued to fight."

Williams said he'll remind his teammates that in a game like this, maximum effort is a must.

"I will talk about it because this is one of the games you can show to the young guys that hard work pays off."

mtupper@herald-review.com|421-7983