Six games into the season, it is looking as if Illinois football is already searching for a new coach. A 3-3 record overall and 0-2 mark in the Big Ten is not helping Tim Beckman’s case, but why fire him now?

Firing Beckman midseason would only add to the chaos surrounding the program. It looks likely he will be gone by the end of the season, but who knows? 

Illinois is only three wins away from making its first bowl appearance since 2011, but even though the rest of the schedule gets tougher, some games are still winnable.

Illinois has three home games (Minnesota, Penn State and Iowa) and three road games (Wisconsin, Ohio State and Northwestern) left on its schedule. None of the teams are an easy win but none is unstoppable, either. I say the Illini should keep him for the remainder of the season and see what happens. 

Firing him now would make a statement, but it wouldn’t solve anything. There is little optimism for the football program in Champaign right now and firing the coach — essentially giving up on this season — isn’t going to make things better. 

Defensively, Illinois is miserable, but offensively, the team has shown signs of improvement. The injury of quarterback Wes Lunt hurts, but, if Beckman can find a way to pick up a couple of wins without Lunt, that’s even more impressive. 

Every opponent from here on out will look at this Illini team and think playing Illinois means an easy win. The Illini might be able to catch one of the opponents overlooking them, and, at this point, they have nothing left to lose, anyway. 

This weekend the team travels to Camp Randall Stadium to face Wisconsin, a team that definitely looks beatable after its showing in last weekend’s loss to Northwestern.  

The Badgers are much like Nebraska, with a strong running game. I believe the Illini run defense learned from the game against the Cornhuskers and is ready for a fight against the Badgers. A win in one of the most hostile environments in the Big Ten would do wonders for Beckman. 

Under former head coach Ron Zook, the Illini took off in his third season, including a big win over No. 1 Ohio State in Columbus. If everything begins to click, the Illini could make a similar improvement under Beckman.

Looking past this season, Illinois’ next recruiting class might be Beckman’s best yet. Athletic director Mike Thomas should at least have him around to coach the freshmen and see how they do in his system.

With many underclassmen, everyone returning will have another year under his belt. With the Big Ten as weak as it has been in football, the Illini could have a chance to make a move up in the conference standings next year. Avoiding distractions (like firing the coach) and staying in Beckman’s familiar system would help players develop and become more comfortable as well.

After all, Illinois is not Alabama or Notre Dame, the top recruits won’t flock to Champaign to play football. To gain recognition, I believe the Illini need to work for it, and I think Beckman can do that with one more season.

Alex is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @awallner93.