The Illinois quarterback situation is much like the Chicago Cubs’ situation back in April.

Next year is here.

Illinois head coach Ron Turner has given sixth-year quarterback Jon Beutjer a headset and a new job – doing interpretative dance while sending plays in from the sidelines.

Enter redshirt freshman Brad Bower or sophomores Tim Brasic and Chris Pazan – one of them will start against Minnesota Saturday.

Admitting the quarterback Turner has picked for potentially his final go-around in the Big Ten is a bust, should make Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther’s job as easy as Geology 100.

But what if Turner still hasn’t lost his job? And what if he still knows that his job is secure?

A coach doesn’t try to prepare for the future by playing the kids, when that coach doesn’t expect to have a future with the team.

Turner may have as much confidence that he will be on the sideline against Rutgers to open next season as his team does that it will still make a bowl game.

Coaches on the hot seat go down swinging – and that would be done by playing Beutjer.

Illinois has had a quarterback controversy for almost a month. Beutjer gets pulled out of games. One of the kids comes in to replace him.

And then another kid. And then another. And then another.

None of the kids were able to take the starting job from Beutjer, despite an open competition last week in practice. Turner has had to give it to them.

What makes them worthy to start now?

Maybe it’s because Beutjer has really regressed from a starting quarterback to a fourth stringer. His demise this season is tougher to explain than how flipped-up collars became a fad.

Beutjer started the year on the Davey O’Brien Award Watch List. He had command of Turner’s offense. He looked ready to throw the ball all over the Big Ten.

A good season and he could have been an NFL draft pick.

Not anymore.

Maybe the hit against UCLA at the end of the first half – the one that led to a bruised chest and a missed start against Western Michigan – did more damage than Beutjer has let on.

Maybe Beutjer’s just worried about taking another hit. He has taken more knockout punches at Illinois than Glass Joe from “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!”

Turner could have played the kids from day one. Instead, he had Beutjer get a sixth-year of eligibility. Beutjer had experience.

With him at quarterback, Turner’s job security would be defined by wins and losses.

With either Bower, Brasic or Pazan at quarterback, Turner wouldn’t necessarily need wins to prove to Guenther – and a fan base with an itchy trigger finger – he was worthy of keeping his job.

If the quarterbacks and the team showed enough progress during the season, a three-win campaign could keep his job – if the losses were competitive games.

Turner may feel safe because the losses have all been close games. But at the same time, there was a sense the Illini weren’t going to win most of them.

So now it’s time for one more Cubs saying – wait ’til next year.

Illinois hopefully will have settled the quarterback situation by then.

Hopefully.

Bobby La Gesse is a senior in communications. He can be reached at [email protected].