Hey, it's Illinois' first 1-0 start since 2006

Here's the question after Saturday's win: For the future, are the Illini better off with a win over Arkansas State or a loss to a Missouri-type team? Did they learn more about their team Saturday than they did battling a Missouri-like foe? In Zook's mind, there's no question about it.

"I don't know what most people think, but I feel a lot better than I did after the last four years," he said. "See, this (Arkansas State) is a pretty good football team. And I know no one wants to accept that. I think we know every bit as much (about ourselves) as we did after the Missouri game."

Willhite