After a two-year hiatus, Illinois football has a future with Ron Zook.

Illinois basketball is ranked No. 1.

There is a buzz around Illinois athletics not seen in the last decade – now the Illini have to capitalize on it.

For the basketball team, that should be easy. For the first time ever, Illinois won a game as a No.1 team. In 1952 and 1989 – the other years Illinois was No. 1 – it made the Final Four.

The Illini look ready for a Final Four run in December. They score at will. They utilize their quickness on defense. They play unselfishly. The trick will be keeping the Illini rolling throughout March and April.

And there is no reason to think they won’t.

Basketball is an easy problem compared to what Zook has to do with the football team.

Illinois has had nine wins in the last three years. But at least Illinois has good, young talent – E.B. Halsey, Pierre Thomas, the Mendenhall brothers, J Leman and Justin Harrison, to name a few.

It sounds a lot like Florida the last few years – without Chris Leak – doesn’t it, Ron?

Ron, stop writing the resignation letter.

The pressure at Illinois will be nothing compared to what happened at Florida.

At Florida, three seasons of seven wins or better got Zook a pink slip.

At Illinois, three seven-win seasons and a Zook statue would be erected in place of the Alma Mater.

Talk about lowered expectations.

All Illinois football needs to be under Zook is a team with a shot at eight wins every year and a chance at a Rose Bowl once every few years.

It sounds a lot like Iowa or Purdue, right?

Well, Zook can do it.

No one in the country out-recruits Zook. He has said sleeping and eating are overrated. He supposedly asked Florida to find a cell phone that would work in the shower – so he could spend 10 more minutes talking to recruits.

Zook has a history of signing top recruits – he has signed 10 Parade All-Americans to Florida in three years.

With national signing day coming up after New Year’s, Zook has a few weeks to talk to top recruits – plus a chance to talk to the recruits he signed to Florida – and a few might make their way to Illinois.

Give Zook a whole year, and Illinois could easily sign a Top-25 class.

The only knock on Zook is his coaching. His Florida teams have blown several late-game leads in the last few years.

People assume it’s Zook’s inability to coach.

But Zook’s teams at Florida were very young. Spurrier didn’t leave Zook with great talent. So Zook was forced to play his highly recruited youngsters.

Young players are inconsistent. And guess what? Florida was inconsistent. How many of Florida’s late-game losses were from Zook, and how many of these were from player inexperience?

You can’t really say. Not until Zook coaches a team with key upperclassmen – which would have happened this upcoming year at Florida.

That won’t happen at Illinois next season.

But at least Illinois football will be something people outside of the University will pay attention to.

Football must take baby steps before it walks to the podium and accepts another Big Ten Championship trophy.

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