Their stars are rising

SPOTLIGHT GAME Illinois at No. 5 Cincinnati 11 a.m. today, Ch. 7, 560-AM Answer: Cal. Missouri. Rutgers. Cincinnati. Question: Can you name four schools that got dramatically better in football in between the time Illinois scheduled them and the time they actually played? The latest member of that club, Cincinnati, has made an immense jump. It has risen to No. 5 in the nation, and left its coach, Brian Kelly, fending off reports he'll succeed Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. ''This is the silly season, you know?'' Kelly replied. ''Nobody thinks Cincinnati is a destination job, so it just happens this way.'' It was an excellent non-denial denial. And when Kelly launched into an engaging explanation of how he'd rather be in this position than be on the hot seat like Weis, the Massachusetts native further displayed his Kennedy-like aptitude for shining in the media spotlight, an arena that has always seemed to make Weis seem Nixonian. That's another big reason Kelly looks likes the front-runner for the ND job. It's no wonder BetUs.com makes him the 5-6 favorite to succeed Weis. The Illini will be roughly three-touchdown underdogs against Kelly's heroes. But they see today's uphill battle against the undefeated Bearcats as a chance for redemption. ''How many times in college football do you get the opportunity to play a top-five team?'' Zook said. ''I talked to them about that. This will be the second time for this group. We've had an opportunity to play a No. 1 team. This gives us another opportunity.'' The last time Illinois played an unbeaten team in Ohio in November, it shocked top-ranked Ohio State 28-21 on Nov. 10, 2007, when the current seniors were sophomores. Earlier that same season, on Oct. 6, the Illini knocked off No. 5 Wisconsin 31-26. So Illinois is putting a two-game winning streak against top-five teams on the line today. Having won two of their last three since a miserable 1-6 start that forced athletic director Ron Guenther to quash speculation that Zook might be fired, the Illini are intent on salvaging as much as they can. ''It's an opportunity to maybe redeem ourselves a little bit,'' Zook said. ''We have the opportunity to show people that we are much better than what we've played and what our record is.'' There could be quarterbacks galore in this contest. Tony Pike will make his first start for Cincinnati since he reinjured his left (non-throwing) forearm on Oct. 15. And Juice Williams will start for Illinois after missing the Northwestern game with a sprained left ankle that sidelined him early in the Nov. 7 Minnesota game. ''I'm back to where I was before the injury,'' said Pike, a pocket passer who threw two touchdown passes in a reserve role while easing back vs. West Virginia two weeks ago. Still, Kelly said accomplished mobile backup Zach Collaros may play. ''Zach looks to be more situational because he can do more in the running game,'' Kelly said. ''If we don't need to call on him, beautiful.'' Similarly, Zook said he might turn to redshirt freshman Jacob Charest or junior Eddie McGee if a need arises. ''You might see four quarterbacks. That rarely happens,'' said Williams, who's intent on getting some things done in what has been a disappointing senior season. ''This is a chance to go out there and play stress-free. It's an opportunity to get better for guys who are looking to go on and play somewhere next year, and to build some momentum for the guys that are coming back next year. As long as we come out not thinking about what's going on around us, and focus on what we have to do, we should be fine.'' This season hasn't worked out as planned for the Illini, who will be playing their first nonconference game after the Big Ten season against a college team since 1910. When they drew up this schedule, they were thinking about shortening the layoff time before the bowl trip they envisioned. Then again, no one would have predicted that Cincinnati would be two wins away from a perfect regular season. The line: Cincinnati by 20?. Herb Gould's pick: Cincinnati, 38-14.