There is, of course, a plus side to all this losing. You just have to sift through the debris to find it.

   The longer Illinois football goes without a victory  384 days and counting  the better it''ll feel when it finally happens on a regular basis.

   It''s happening at Purdue, where football usually steps aside for Gene Keady when the leaves turn. Not this October. And Keady, a big football fan and a pretty fair quarterback in college, enjoys the divided attention.

   It happened at Northwestern, where students used to spend four quarters tossing marshmallows at each other. Today they watch most of the games, won over by Gary Barnett''s resuscitation job.

   It can happen at Illinois.

   "It will happen," UI defensive coordinator Tim Kish said. "Just give it time."

   The transition from laughingstock to Lazarus can create a wonderful buzz.

   Kish experienced it as a member of Barnett''s staff. As Northwestern went from dead weight to life of the party in 1995, Kish noticed the decibel level went up a notch or two. So much failure  23 consecutive losing seasons  made one fling with success an electric moment.

   Now it''s Purdue''s turn.

Boilermakers feeling their oats

   Notice the smile the thousands of Purdue fans bring with them today to Memorial Stadium. The antidepressant that is winning has uplifted an entire community.

   "The enthusiasm is way up," Ferris Traylor said. "We haven''t had a winner here in what, 10 or 11 years."

   Traylor is general manager of Harry''s Chocolate Shop, a popular West Lafayette watering hole that''s been in business since 1919.

   "People used to come in here happy before games," Traylor said. "Now they come in happy after games. It''s a whole different attitude."

   Purdue, which hasn''t won as many as six games in a season since 1984, is now soaking in the plus side that Illinois will one day enjoy.

   Fans are pouring into Ross-Ade Stadium. That''s after pouring into area hotels and restaurants. Last week''s homecoming scene was so crowded that bowl scouts attending the game against Wisconsin had to stay miles away in Crawfordsville and Monticello.

   Student ticket sales are at an all-time high. Purdue souvenirs  the ones without the basketball logo  are selling again.

   Even the players have joined in on the fun. Joe Tiller has the Boilermakers and their band gather in an end zone after games to belt out the school fight song.

   When fans aren''t in the way.

Drawing a crowd

   After Purdue toppled Notre Dame, neither Tiller nor the players could reach the end zone because of the mob scene on the field. Fans wanted to hug the Boilermakers, haul down the goal posts and dump them into the nearby Wabash River for tradition sake.

   Now that''s a homecoming.

   At Illinois, this weekend''s homecoming guarantees are a parade, a bonfire and alumni hangovers. A football win is a long shot.

   No surprise, really. Not since 1951 has Illinois entered a homecoming game with a perfect record (Illini had tied a game in ''53 and ''63).

   It''s been 13 years since Mike White whipped C-U into a frenzy en route to the Rose Bowl. Then football  not Boneyard Creek, not student fees, not cable television options  was on the tip of everyone''s tongue.

   When does the delirium return? Whenever Illini strings together five or six wins.

   Just like Purdue.

   Jim Rossow is sports editor of The News-Gazette.