Illinois has been a bit of a surprise in the Big Ten West in Bret Bielema's first year as head coach.

Northwestern's arch-rival is just 4-7 overall, but an eye-opening 3-5 in Big Ten play, with an upset of Penn State and wins over Minnesota and Nebraska to its credit. The Gophers and Huskers managed to beat the Wildcats this season.

We went to Doug Bucshon of OrangeandBlueNews.com to learn more about the Illini and get an inside look at how this battle for the Land of Lincoln Trophy might go down.

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