For the second consecutive Big Ten media days, Illinois coach Lovie Smith’s beard stole the present on the Hilton Chicago. That was about the one factor value speaking about Thursday on the Illini entrance. Smith’s beard was noticeably thicker and longer than it was final 12 months. But sufficient about his facial hair. This was Smith’s fourth Big Day media days, and he approached it the identical approach as he has previous occasions. He spewed empty platitudes and preached optimism for the upcoming season. ‘‘When we first got here, we knew there were some challenging things that we had to take care of, and we attacked it,’’ Smith mentioned. ‘‘We went to work immediately. We overhauled