I-L-L

I-N-I!

New Year's Day bowl, here we come.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) -- As he watched Florida beat Ohio State in the national championship game back in January, Juice Williams, quarterback of two-win Illinois, had a crazy dream.

"I was just thinking, like, wow, I know it's a great feeling to be out there on the national stage," the sophomore said Saturday.

After polishing off their ninth win, 41-22 over Northwestern, the Illini (No. 19 BCS, No. 20 AP) almost certainly will live Juice's dream.It could be a showdown at the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl with Illini coach Ron Zook's old team, Florida (No. 12 BCS, No. 14 AP), where a lot of fans still hold a grudge. Or a BCS bowl, if a few of the teams ahead of Illinois in the polls lose during the next two weeks.

A long way from 2-10.

A long way.

I-L-L