‘Keep disrespecting Illinois’: Illini Players Not Happy Being 3-TD Underdogs at No. 14 Wisconsin

More than a year after upsetting Wisconsin as a 30-point underdog, Illinois players are upset about the opening point spread of the 2020 matchup in Madison.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Just like last season, the Illinois players know what the point spread is of their game against Wisconsin.

Unlike last season, the Illini captains understood the doubt heading into the 2019 Homecoming game but in 2020, the same large spread is seen as nothing more than national mockery of their program.

“Yeah, it’s kind of like, go ahead and keep disrespecting Illinois I guess,” Illinois senior linebacker Jake Hansen said.

Hansen shouted out for everybody to hear the Illini, who came in to the October 19th matchup having lost its last four games, were a “30 point underdogs” according to the opening line in Las Vegas casinos and sports books. When Hansen saw the No. 14 Badgers opened as a 20-point home favorite against Illinois in the rematch that will represent the first Big Ten Conference football game in 2020, the range of emotions went from shock to confusion and finally culminating with anger.

“It just doesn’t make any sense to me but I guess we’ll see,” Hansen said. “If you look at their schedule last year, I think they beat one Big Ten team by over 23 points. I figured we were going to be pretty substantial underdogs but I didn’t think it would be in the 23, 24 (point) area.”

Illinois Fighting Illini place kicker James McCourt (17) celebrates with teammates after kicking the game winning field goal during the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Memorial Stadium :: Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports

Senior right tackle Alex Palczewski was less diplomatic with his interpretation on what the point spread means for an Illini program that has seen him start all four years on the offensive line.

“It’s an absolute atrocity. You would think somebody in Las Vegas or whoever makes these odds would put some respect on our names when you look around at the weapons we have. It’s absurd.” - Illinois right tackle Alex Palczewski 

On its way to a 10-win season, a Western Division championship and a Rose Bowl berth, Wisconsin actually did defeat three conference opponents by 20 points or more last season (35-14 vs. Michigan, 38-0 vs. Michigan State and 45-24 vs. Purdue) and have defeated Illinois by an average of 25 points per game in each of the last four occasions at Camp Randall Stadium.

The last time Illinois won a game on the road as an underdog by 15 points or more is when they knocked off then-No. 1 Ohio State in 2007 on the road to earning a Rose Bowl berth. Including that win over the Buckeyes 13 years ago, the Illini are 3-27 when an underdog by 15 points or more.

Illinois, which returns 13 players with starting experience from the 2019 season that ended the program’s five-year bowl drought, arrives at this 2020 opener feeling like last season’s miraculous comeback win represented a sea change for the attitude of Illini football under head coach Lovie Smith.

“When you see that (point spread) after what happened last year and we’re returning so many guys, they lost some key players and I don’t know what the word is to describe this. I guess we’ll have to prove them wrong again,” Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters said.

Smith, who enters his fifth year in Champaign with a 15-34 record, said Monday that the big underdog factor for this road matchup against a Top 25 opponent is another example of the Illini program needing to take another substantial step to gain national respect.

“As far as being disrespected, until we become a consistent winner, this (underdog) position is the position we’re going to be in quite a few times,” Smith said. “I feel like we’re a better football team right now. You look at the new additions that we’ve added to our program and most of those new additions are as good as advertised.”