“What would you do if this was the last opportunity you’d have to play football?”

That was the question NU coach Pat Fitzgerald posed to his group of 17 seniors in anticipation of this week’s season finale with in-state rival Illinois.

For the graduating class, playing football on Saturdays is just one of their weekly routines.

But on a brisk Monday morning in Evanston, they arrived at NU’s practice facility for potentially their last 10:45 a.m. weekly meeting.

With one of the biggest regular season games in their careers looming, they made a decision to be the voice of the team.

Captains Trevor Rees, Reggie McPherson, Adam Kadela and Tonjua Jones will be the only four Wildcats commenting on this week’s preparation for potentially their final game in purple.

“There are no guarantees,” Kadela said. “This may be the last time we play football. You’ve got to take it that way.”

After his bowl experiences in 2003 and 2005, Kadela knows the difference a win or loss makes in the course of NU’s month of December.

The loss? “After this week, our ’07 team is over,” he said. “The seniors are done and a new team is born.”

The win? “We’re going to still be breathing,” he said.

With Kadela’s no-guarantees approach comes a responsibility of allowing the rest of the team to focus on “doing what they do.” In last week’s victory against Indiana, it was a balanced offensive attack, big defensive stands, and, most of all, focus.

Guaranteed to take the field at least once more, the seniors are doing everything possible to make it twice.

“We figured there would be a lot of media this week,” Rees said. “We just want to do the things we’re going to do and play our style of football.”

CONTEH’S RETURN

With 33 carries last week from junior Tyrell Sutton and a halfback option touchdown pass from senior Brandon Roberson, NU’s running back corps has not struggled from a production standpoint.

But depth is never a bad thing in the eyes of Fitzgerald. A game-time decision against Indiana, junior running back Omar Conteh slowed his rehab to get himself to full strength for NU’s battle with Illinois.

That plan is closing in on reality. Conteh practiced Tuesday and is expected to play Saturday after missing two games with a sprained ankle.

“It’s just great to have a player of that caliber back from a depth standpoint, and also from a playmaking standpoint,” Fitzgerald said. “He just gives us another weapon for our offense and for (Bacher) to utilize.”

INCHES TO GO

For the first time in Big Ten history, 10 teams will finish the season .500 or better, making them all bowl-eligible. The previous mark was nine teams, which happened four times at the turn of the century: 1900, 1901, 1903 and 1904. The conference has never sent more than eight teams to a bowl… Saturday’s contest between NU and Illinois will be shown to a national television audience on ESPN. The kickoff is slated for 11 a.m.

Reach Chris Gentilviso at [email protected].