Let us envision three scenarios, all of which assume that there will not be a new AD by the end of the year (because it seems fairly obvious at this point that there will not be one). At this point, it is too late to hire a football coach for a new AD when he arrives.
1.) Try to hire a new head coach with the interim AD. While some people say that this is how Illinois hires the man to lead us to a future of continuos 6-9 win seasons, I would say that with as many vacancies as are available, this is a gamble at best. Best case scenario, you hire someone like Dino Babers and you achieve that desired result. Worst case scenario, you hire someone who is not a very good coach and picks you only because they were not in line for jobs like Mizzou, South Carolina, Miami, USC, etc. You have four more years of results similar to Beckman, and the AD job becomes less attractive to potential candidates who do not like the hire. Additionally, this could immediately saddle the school with another big potential buyout if the AD is not happy.
2.) Extend Cubit for 3-5 years. While this may seem like the "consistency" that most people are arguing for, it would also seem that most Illini fans feel that 3-5 years of Cubit would likely bring several more five or six win seasons with an offense that is not very inspiring. Best case scenario, five years of six or seven wins followed by retirement. Worst case scenario, things fall back to three to five win seasons and the program fades back into total irrelevancy or a buyout is once again on the books.
3.) Extend Cubit for 2 years. In reality, a two year extension is almost certainly a one year extension with a low second year buyout unless he achieves something incredible next season. It is low cost and allows total flexibility for the next AD. While it is fairly likely the vegas o/u for wins next season will be around 4, one must remember that the same odds were given to the Illini this year, and they ended up almost reaching six regular season wins. Some arguments against this are that recruiting will fall off, but the past few classes have all been 10-12th in the conference anyways and it is only one class. Additionally, people are saying many will transfer and the staff will leave, but most of the players seem to like Cubit better than Beckman, and it's not as if the current staff is exactly full of the Vince Lombardi types. Best case scenario, a year of clear improvements, followed by a 3-5 year extension on top of the current second year of the contract so he can recruit with a better backing behind him. Worst case scenario, three games are won, fans are disinterested, and then a new coach is hired by the new AD and things move forward with a total cleaning of house. And if Beckman can take the team from 2 wins to 6 in three years, I think it wouldn't take much to achieve the same results by the new coach.
Just my $.02