You can be honest, you probably read the headline and thought “this idiot clearly has no idea what he’s talking about.” If I was an Illinois fan, I might be thinking the same thing right about now.

I’m not an Illinois fan, though. And you’re pretty open-minded about Lovie Smith’s future in Champaign. If you were dead set on kicking him to the curb, your stubbornness would’ve prevented you from clicking the link and reading why it’s still a little premature to stack the cardboard boxes outside his brand new office.

Go ahead and grab the tortilla chis and your favorite dip (guacamole, queso, salsa) and we’ll tackle the issue at hand. You know, the real reason you’re outraged right now and so pessimistic about the future of the Illini program.

There’s really no way to paint a pretty picture here, Illinois’ 34-31 loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday was ugly. Brandon Peters took too many sacks, the secondary was torched too frequently, penalty flags were thrown too often and clock management was too big of an issue. I’m not usually the guy who buys into the whole “this was a total team loss” coach speak, but in this case, that’s absolutely true. Everyone from the head coach to the ball boy played a role.

Saturday’s loss dampened Illinois’ hopes of starting the year 3-0 in non-conference play. If you looked at Twitter immediately after Chad Ryland’s 24-yard field goal attempt sailed through the uprights in Champaign, you would’ve believed the Illini’s chances of reaching a bowl game hinged on that one kick.

When the game was over, I couldn’t help but think of Nick Saban’s epic quote from a few years ago, wondering if the same idea was floating through Smith’s head as he was walking off the field.

“If it was up to you, we’re six feet under already,” Saban said in 2015. “We’re dead and buried and gone. Gone!”

Call me an optimist, but I don’t think Illinois is dead and buried and gone. Not yet, anyway.

Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Eastern Michigan brought a good team and a two-game winning streak over B1G programs to Champaign on Saturday — beating Rutgers in 2017 and Purdue in 2018. The Eagles finished last season with a 7-5 record, with four of those losses coming by a single possession. Give Chris Creighton and EMU some credit, this isn’t the same program that used to be a doormat in the MAC.

And, remember, Purdue lost to Eastern Michigan in Week 2 last season, part of a three-game losing streak to start the season. The Boilermakers still earned a win over Ohio State and made a trip to the Music City Bowl.

It’s also fair to say that Saturday was Illinois’ worst showing in this young season. And if that bothers you, perhaps you should look around the rest of the B1G through the first three weeks and see what you find. The Illini aren’t the only B1G team to lay an egg this year:

  • Michigan needed overtime to beat Army
  • Maryland and Purdue have also lost to Group of Five teams
  • Despite high expectations, Michigan State, Northwestern and Nebraska have already suffered ugly losses
  • Indiana and Rutgers were each blown out in their respective B1G openers
  • You’ve seen the first nine quarters of Minnesota, right?

Does that make you feel any better?

If not, I’ll take that information presented earlier and parlay it into the bigger picture. That is, why you should be too worried about Smith’s job status or Illinois’ bowl eligibility hopes after just three games. Hopefully, you’ll be able to sleep easier at night.

Not many of the teams left on Illinois’ schedule are unbeatable. Certainly, there are a few games left where you can probably break out the Sharpie and write down an “L,” but not many. That’s part of the beauty of playing in the B1G West.

Here’s a look at what the Illini have left on the slate:

  • 9/21: vs. Nebraska
  • 10/5: at Minnesota
  • 10/12: vs. #11 Michigan
  • 10/19: vs. #13 Wisconsin
  • 10/26: at Purdue
  • 11/02: vs. Rutgers
  • 11/09: at Michigan State
  • 11/23: at #18 Iowa
  • 11/30: vs. Northwestern

Let’s revert back to the pessimistic side for a nanosecond, and assume the Illini drop all three games to ranked teams left on the schedule (Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa), that means Illinois would have to win four of the remaining six games to get to the all-important six-win mark. Tell me, which of those six teams scares you right now?

You could probably make a case for Michigan State considering it owns the best defense in the conference — probably the nation — but the offense is so bad that the Spartans are susceptible to an upset.

My point? Illinois is capable of winning four of the remaining nine games. Even if they’re not favorite to do so, this is a team that possesses the talent to go toe-to-toe with just about every team on the schedule. You couldn’t say that about the Illini for the last three seasons.

If you’re running out of chips and dip, don’t worry, I’m almost done.

What I think has set the 2019 version of Illinois apart from Smith’s previous three teams is the fight its shown so far this season, particularly in the last two weeks.

Say what you will about the loss to Eastern Michigan, but truth be told, I expected Illinois to roll over and play dead when the Eagles took a two-touchdown lead at 31-17 in the fourth quarter. We’ve seen it so many times before. It’s why only four of the Illini’s 28 losses since 2016 have come by one possession.

Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Peters made some nice throws, Ricky Smalling and Josh Imatorbhebhe made big catches. Reggie Corbin ripped off a few nice runs. When Illinois needed it, guys made plays. It was just too little too late.

The optics of losing to a MAC program aren’t great, but Illinois showed fight, even in a losing effort. It hasn’t done that against anyone recently. And perhaps that’s why I still have a little bit of optimism about the outlook of the Illini’s season, and why it might be a bit premature to put Smith’s home on the open market.

Maybe I’m the same idiot you thought I was when you first read the headline. Maybe I’m not. Either way, we should give Illinois a few more weeks to see what it can do. Even in a loss, the Illini showed some life.

They’re not dead and buried and gone like some of you might have already concluded.