Can you smell the roses, Illini fans? It might be time to check on those flights to Los Angeles.
Arkansas’ wild 50-48 triple-overtime upset of No. 1 LSU boosted Illinois’ chances of spending Jan. 1 in Pasadena — and Ohio State’s hopes of returning to the BCS title game.
Before Saturday, both teams needed two of three things to make those dreams a reality. Now it’s one of two:
*West Virginia fails to clear one of its final two hurdles — a home date with 20th-ranked UConn at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and a finale against Dave Wannstedt’s Pitt Panthers.
*The winner of Saturday’s Missouri-Kansas game loses to Oklahoma in next Saturday’s Big 12 title game.
Even if neither happens and Ohio State ends up in the Rose Bowl, Illinois could be BCS-bound.
The BCS announced Tuesday it may expand the at-large pool from the top 14 to the top 18 in the standings. If fewer than 10 of the top 14 are eligible for a berth — remember, each conference can send only two teams to the BCS — then the top 18 are in play.
If you can’t digest that with your leftover drumstick, then just focus on rooting against West Virginia — or for a bloody overtime battle in the Missouri-Kansas game.
With LSU’s defeat, Big Ten coaches Jim Tressel and Ron Zook now have something extra for which to be thankful.
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tgreenstein@tribune.com
