Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez all but admitted it. At some point this season, Illinois is going to put things together, even if just for one game.

Despite an embattled coach - this week Illini coach Ron Zook was told he’d be back in 2010 - and a team that has yet to win a game in the Big Ten, there is something bubbling beneath the surface for Illinois.

Talent.

Illinois coach Ron Zook will be back in 2010, according to reports.

Illinois has too much of it to be this bad. It is that talent, especially on offense, that is the primary reason why this game should be a concern for the Wolverines.

“No question,” Rodriguez said.

This isn’t to say Illinois is going to beat Michigan, or that the Illini should beat Michigan, but with the way the Wolverines have been playing, there must be some trepidation after three losses in four games.

And there are other questions about Michigan now, some of which makes this week feel like as much of a must-win as the opener was for Rodriguez. The Wolverines are suddenly reeling and November isn't an easy month with Ohio State and not-a-cupcake Purdue coming to Ann Arbor and Michigan having to travel to Wisconsin. That's just the on-the-field stuff. There's also the NCAA investigation, which hovered over the opening week of the season, has returned in the form of a “Notice of Inquiry” from the NCAA. The next day, cornerback Boubacar Cissoko was kicked off the team, less than a week after his first suspension was lifted.

The latter is a move Rodriguez should be lauded for. He made Cissoko earn a second chance. Then Cissoko violated rules again and Rodriguez had enough. That’s well done by Rodriguez to hold his ground.

But, in the grand scheme, it is also a distraction - much like Michigan had the first week of the season.

The Wolverines responded well then, pounding Western Michigan, 31-7.

Doing the same to the Illini won’t be as easy, despite the 1-6 record.

The Illini have the most talented wide receiver corps in the league, led by junior Arrelious Benn. They have three running backs capable of moving the ball.

Then there is the enigmatic quarterback Juice Williams. A starter since his freshman year, Williams has shown great promise - leading Illinois to a Rose Bowl berth - combined with immense frustration as a player who rarely shows marked improvement from his freshman to senior seasons.

Yet the athletic ability of both Williams and Illinois is apparent. All Michigan needs to do is look at last year.

Williams rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the zone read offense. He also completed 13 of 26 passes for 310 yards and almost singlehandedly took care of Michigan in a 45-20 win.

“They are a lot of talented guys,” Rodriguez said. “They’ve had some tough luck and some turnovers and things that have hurt them in key moments. But there’s no question they are a very, very talented football team.”

The lead is Benn, who few Big Ten defensive backs can cover, let alone the group at Michigan that has allowed receivers on almost every Big Ten team look like All-Americans.

Don’t believe it? Look at this list and point out the All-Americans not named Michael Floyd or Golden Tate: Penn State’s Graham Zug caught three touchdown passes. Iowa tight end Tony Moeaki had six catches for 105 yards and two scores. Indiana’s Tandon Doss had five catches for 104 yards. Then there were Tate and Floyd - perhaps the most comparable receivers to Benn that Michigan has faced - and each went over 100 yards and caught a touchdown pass.

For Michigan to feel safe Saturday, the offense - the same one that has struggled for a good portion of the losses to Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State - needs to rediscover itself. Illinois is not good against the run and susceptible against the pass. So if it rediscovers its early season offensive magic, it should be fine.

Lately, though, that’s a very big if.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.