ReliaQuest Bowl: Illini, Bulldogs Looking to Put Exclamation Point on Their Season
By Joey Johnston When the college football season began, practically no one expected the Illinois Fighting Illini and Mississippi State Bulldogs to be surrounded by beaches, palm trees, world-class attractions and the Tampa Bay area's inviting destination for a New Year's weekend bowl game. Let's roll the preseason predictions: Illinois: Picked sixth among seven teams in the Big Ten Conference's West Division. Mississippi State: Picked sixth among seven teams in the Southeastern Conference's West Division. Needless to say, the coaches, players and fans from Illinois and Mississippi State aren't just happy to be invited to the Jan. 2 ReliaQuest Bowl at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. They are thrilled. And after remarkably productive seasons that have stamped the Illini (8-4) and Bulldogs (8-4) as surprise contenders, they are determined to erase the last question marks with a resounding exclamation point. "For this season, it's more of a leap start f...