The Linking Illini is not ready to write the season off just yet.

Today in the links world we examine panic button pushing, writing off the season, and speculation about the job security of Ron Zook. While this is all fair game, I would just like to point out that there are three very winnable games in front of Eddie and the Illini  (it still feels weird to write that) and if they can win all three or possibly even 2, the season will not look as bad. Lets not fire anyone before we see how the team performs. In terms of bowl potential, this team still has 3 losses to give, and it remains to be seen whether or not the team can get back into winning form.

Anyway, the links await!

• Illinois QB change reflects desperate situation - Adam Rittenberg, ESPN
  "But you know what they say about desperate times. Zook made a move that might save the season or seal his fate." Adam Rittenberg sets the tone of what we are likely to hear all week, that doom and gloom have come to Champaign and the team is gasping for air. Most people are not going to disagree with him. The fact does remain though that the Illini have three winnable games in front of them. And those games are going to decide an awful lot about this program.

• McGee: 'I was excited' Bob Asmussen IlliniHQ.com
  If there was one place would not want to be right now, it is the Illini locker room. Bob has quotes from Benn Brent and McGee concerning the switch and everyone is putting as positive a spin as possible on this. That all may be true, but having your leader replaced mid season, that is bound to be awkward. You can be as heartless and "well that's football" you want, I still think this is an extremely tough moment for Juice.

• SmartFootball On The Rivalry Esq: Juice Williams
  When not wailing on pop singers, Chris Brown unloads his formidable football intellect onto the college football internets. Today he takes questions at the Rivarly Esq and gives his take on the Williams/McGee switch. It is worth a read, but I felt I should comment on one point in particular. "In any event, this year for Illinois looks very bleak, and next year both [COACH] and [QUARTERBACK REDACTED] will be gone." It should be noted that this is not the foregone conclusion that many people may already believe. There are a few factors that would deter the administration from making a move, possibly. For one the U of I is in a budget crisis, and given Zook's contract extension in the off season it may not be really financially possible to buy him out just yet. Also consider that there is an entirely new Board of Trustees, and an interim President, who may not want to make such a serious decision in his short tenure. That said. IF we go 0-3 against the next 3 teams, the boosters might step in and pay the difference in the contract. This is all speculation at this point, we will just have to hope that Eddie can win these games.