[Bamabeachlivin]

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- Illinois' ticket to the postseason came in a plain, brown wrapper, but after five seasons in the bowl wilderness, the Illini will gladly take it. On Saturday, Illinois didn't win many style points, but gouged out a 28-17 win over Ball State that all but guarantees they'll be playing somewhere in December or January. Coming off back-to-back two-win seasons, Zook said Saturday was a measure of how much his team has improved.

"I really believe last year and the year before and the year before, we wouldn't have won that game," he said. "It wasn't pretty, but we did what we had to do to get the win." Illinois hasn't been to a bowl game since the 2002 Sugar Bowl, and tried and failed to secure a sixth win and eligibility during the previous two Saturdays against Iowa and then-No. 24 Michigan.
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[Lefty Noob]

I just can't say enough about the tremendous job Ron Zook has done at Illinois. The recruiting has been unbelievable, and they're bowl eligible again. It's just the start of bigger and better things for the Illini, I think. As long as the Zooker stays, this team will join the elite of the Big Ten right quick.