Illini's road to Rose Bowl began in 2005 (AP)

The score at halftime was 56-3. Most of Penn State's starters spent the second half parked on the bench, and by the time the game finally ended, Illinois had given up the most points in Memorial Stadium history. Even for a program used to mediocrity, that loss in October 2005 was a debacle. "During the game, I said, 'I've never been here before.' We were getting killed," Illinois coach Ron Zook... [link]