Saying that Illinois will likely be more powerful than Penn State is like saying Kansas State will be more powerful than Oklahoma. It just isn't going to happen. One season? Maybe, but nothing more.
I don't think its unreasonable to account for power shifts. College football is a dynamic sport and schools are constantly moving up and down the pecking order. I didn't mean to imply that the Illini would surpass PSU anytime soon but it's always possible. Something as simple as a coaching change can make everything different. Look no further than PSU itself...before Jo Pa the Nittany Lions were nothing to write home about...same with FSU and Bowden. On the flip-side of that you can see plenty of powerful programs that have fallen from past glory...Miss, Miami, A & M etc...
Going way out on a limb and drawing conf. lines on such temporary standings when we have a more obvious geographic division to work with just seems like a bad idea to me.