For sake of Big Ten race, Illini must win

Best game of the weekend: Ohio State is at Illinois early Saturday for a game that has the Buckeyes' perfect record and No. 1 ranking in jeopardy. So it's big for that reason, obviously. But it's also big for this reason: "If Ohio State keeps winning road games, it's going to be tough for any of us to catch them," said Illinois coach Bruce Weber. In other words, the Illini need to win for the sake of the Big Ten race, because if they don't this could turn into OSU's Big Ten waltz.

Gary Parrish