CHAMPAIGN — Mike Thomas did his homework before accepting the University of Illinois director of athletics position at Illinois in August.

The former AD at Cincinnati examined every aspect of the Illini sports program and he came to a simple conclusion.

“Why can’t the University of Illinois be successful in everything?’’ he said on Sunday when announcing the termination of head football coach Ron Zook.

And while the Zook-led Illini football program is preparing for it second straight bowl appearance (assuming they get an invitation) for just first time in 19 years, Thomas expects more.

And now, the Fighting Illini Nation, who also wanted more judging by their internet comments, will find out if Thomas means business with his first big-time hire.

“There are a lot of things that go into this, certainly primary is competitive success,’’ said Thomas of what he is looking for in a head coach. “And for me, you have to have success in your own conference.’’

Thomas also pointed out that the football program should do better when it comes to attendance.

This past year, Illinois had eight home games and the only sell out was the Michigan contest. The Illini average attendance was 49,547.5 per game, which ranks them eighth in the Big Ten Conference.

“This program needs to feel like there is hope and a certain buzz around it,’’ Thomas said. “People are getting excited and you are selling tickets.

“When an Ohio State or a Wisconsin shows up, the stadium has been sold out, and as a matter of fact, the demand needs to exceed the capacity. That’s not where we are at right now. The hope is that someday we get there.’’

And a big step in that process is going to finding the right head coach to build a consistent success.

So, is Thomas the guy that can do that for Illinois?

His track record appears to be pretty solid as he hired Brian Kelly, who took Cincinnati to BCS bowl berths in 2008 and 2009 before leaving for Notre Dame. Thomas then hired current coach Butch Jones, who has the Bearcats on the verge of a third BCS bowl berth in four years.

“My history is to lean toward head coaches,’’ Thomas said. “But, I will tell you that it’s an open process.’’

And hiring at Illinois is quite a bit different than it was at Cincinnati for Thomas.

“I have not seen anything that tells me that we don’t have the resources and infrastructure to have a successful program,’’ said Thomas about everything from the facilities to the community. “When I was at Cincinnati we had the least as far as facilities for the football program and we went to two straight BCS bowl games.’’

And this program is in better shape today than it was seven years ago when Zook took over for Ron Turner.

“I don’t think this is a reclamation project. I don’t think this is a reality show for extreme makeover. It’s anything but,’’ Thomas said. “We have a great foundation or base, and certainly that is a credit to coach Zook and his staff and the kids on the roster right now.

“We have some things to do, but I don’t think it’s something we are taking to ground zero and starting over by any means.’’

So, as Thomas stated, he wants to build off of that foundation established by Zook and take the Illini program to higher levels — mainly toward Big Ten Championships.

Already, there are a lot of names being rumored as candidates for the Illinois job.

A couple of the names are former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes, Toledo coach Tim Beckman, Arkansas State coach Hugh Freeze, Western Kentucky coach Willie Taggart and Jones from Cincinnati.

Sumlin is not only the coach of the undefeated Cougars, he is also a Purdue graduate and a native of Indianapolis making him a very appealing candidate for the Illini.

“Generally what happens, I have a smaller list that grows initially, and then I pair it down fairly quickly,’’ said Thomas, who didn’t discuss any names on Sunday, and he doesn’t plan on using a search firm.

“I certainly reserve the right to go that direction if I feel it’s necessary,’’ he said. “But at this point and time, as we sit here today, no I’m not using a search firm.’’

Instead, Thomas plans on using a search committee with members of Department of Intercollegiate Athletics being involved.

The search process isn’t expected to last very long, but Thomas said he would abide by hiring procedures set by the University of Illinois.

So, the Illini Nation can expect to have a new football coach before the holidays.