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CHAMPAIGN – Ron Zook and the Illini make the short trip to Purdue this weekend aboard a runaway train that is seemingly hurtling downhill toward a crash-and-burn ending.

Somebody please hit the brakes. Quick! The Big Ten losing streak reached six with a 27-14 loss to Indiana, a team that was a 55-13 victim a year ago. And if the Illini are frustrated and downcast, Purdue is uplifted overnight by a 26-18 upset of Ohio State. The UI's pass defense, last in the Big Ten, now faces a fifth-year senior, Joey Elliott, who completed 31 passes against the Buckeyes.

It is not a pretty picture, and if this trend continues, a campus administration already in turmoil – Stanley Ikenberry is serving as president and chancellor on an interim basis – soon will face a challenging decision. The Big Ten season ends in little more than a month, and the wheels could start churning ahead of those inappropriately scheduled games against sixth-ranked Cincinnati and Fresno State.

What to do? What is the process for re-evaluation and a possible makeover?

It begins with Ron Guenther. The athletic director has been secretive about his future and, if a coaching change is called for, must be willing to sign on for two more years through December 2012. And if Ikenberry approves that idea, it will be up to a spanking-new Board of Trustees to approve the extension.

A person close to the situation, who did not want to be identified, discusses the process:

"Guenther can no longer be coy or deferential about his future. It wouldn't make sense for the athletic director to hire a new football coach if he intends to retire next year.

"If Guenther concludes that a change is necessary, he'll need to make a comprehensive analysis of the reasons, demonstrating the implications of the win-loss record, the future of the team, projected sales of tickets, boxes and suites, the status of recruiting, everything. Furthermore, he'll have to show that he has private funding for the buyout, not only for the head coach ($1.3 million per year for four years, not counting assistants with multiyear contracts) but for the staff changeover. He'd have to explain what 'starting over' means.

"Guenther's position is awkward under the circumstances, and it might be appropriate for him to ask whether his recommendation would be accepted or he should step aside. If he has Ikenberry's support, it isn't likely that the new board will be intrusive. If Ikenberry and Guenther are in agreement, the trustees will probably go along."

Blame game

If the Zook tailspin continues – he still has half a season to reverse it – there'll be a furor whether Guenther is the right person to name a new coach after the failures of Ron Turner and Zook. That fuss is already under way.

The opinion here is that (1) the committee approach is weak because quality coaches insist on secrecy in such dealings and (2) Guenther has the knowledge, contacts and fervor for the job.

The idea that athletic directors should be graded on the records of their football coaches lacks merit. The AD's job, as it pertains to football, is to clear a path with facilities and support. That has been done. When Turner went 25-19 between 1999 and 2002, with an undisputed Big Ten title along the way, he seemed to have things in reasonable order. Then, six years after he was hired, it collapsed. Critics will say Guenther gambled by taking an NFL offensive coordinator with only one year of college head coaching experience. It worked for a while, and then it didn't. How much of this was Turner's fault and how much of it is the institutional nature of football at Illinois?

The Zook case is similar. With his background in Florida and Ohio, he seemed to have the right contacts to attract talent. It worked for a while, and then the roof caved in. Maybe this year's defensive weaknesses could have been foreseen, but who could have predicted the stunning offensive falloff by a team that produced a school-record 5,525 yards in 2007 and 5,266 last year. Is the falloff Guenther's fault?

Of course, there'll be a call for a new perspective. But those who point out that an outsider, Neale Stoner, tapped the NFL for Mike White and John Mackovic are reminded that his predecessor, Cecil Coleman, was part of the committee that chose Gary Moeller over Don James. There is no perfect approach. Guenther remains the best option.

Everyone has warts

You see, what Illinois needs for football is Superman. Nothing less. Illinois needs someone who is faster than a speeding bullet and can leap over tall buildings with a single bound.

You might find him wearing a Hawkeye jersey these days but, remember, there were outcries in Iowa two years ago when Kirk Ferentz was winding down a three-year 19-18 record. The Wolverines thought they stole Superman from West Virginia, but the jury still is out after Rich Rodriguez's 8-11 start at Michigan. And Jim Tressel is a worthy steward of the Buckeye ship, but he suddenly finds himself in a whirlwind of criticism.

The prospective pool for Illinois, which is being viewed nationally as a coaching graveyard, is not overflowing. Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, who will host the Illini on Nov. 27, is 27-6 over two-plus seasons, but already matches Zook's salary ($1.475 million, plus incentives) and will be the hottest guy in the market this year. Michigan State took Kelly's predecessor, Mark Dantonio, but he lost his cape with three straight setbacks that began with a 29-27 loss to Central Michigan (how about Central's offensive ace Butch Jones? He's won 13 of 16 MAC games).

The Illini could look many directions. They could check the interest of NFLers like Jon Gruden or Jim Zorn. They could go to the archives for fired veterans Phil Fulmer (he was 152-52 at Tennessee) or Tommy Tuberville. Gary Barnett is in the market again. Or they could test the interest of crack assistants like Gus Malzahn of Auburn and Charlie Strong of Florida.

Texas Tech's Mike Leach is an offensive guru but also a quirky loose cannon (he'd be good even if he wore his cape backward). UConn's Randy Edsall is highly respected, but his record there is 62-62. Surely you like Californian Chris Petersen, who is 41-4 at Boise State, but take note that the previous Boise coach, Dan Hawkins, left after great success and is 15-28 at Colorado.

Where is perfection? Does it lie with Purdue grad Kevin Sumlin, whose high-scoring 5-1 Houston team bumped Oklahoma State and Texas Tech? Is he attainable?

Folks at SIU and NIU speak favorably of Jerry Kill – his Huskies beat Purdue last month – but Kill was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2005 and has had two major seizures including his collapse during a Salukis game against Illinois State.

Somewhere in this great pack of prospects – throw in Tim Brewster, Greg Schiano, Jim Leavitt, Kyle Whittingham, Mark Farley – resides the UI's Superman. Or maybe Tony Dungy can be enticed out of retirement. Yeah, and maybe Superman can really fly.

Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at ltate@news-gazette.com.