Illinois Football: Illini path to Big Ten West crown getting clearer

All we wanted was a bowl game, but what Illinois football fans got was a fever dream unlike any other, and we’re here for it…all of it.

As October turns to November, there is greater clarity on the current state of the Big Ten West and where the Illini’s path to the conference title game ultimately lies.

At 6-1 (3-1 B1G), the Orange and Blue have shocked the college football world behind the effortless rushing attack of Heisman Trophy hopeful, Chase Brown, along with the hellacious Illinois defense ranked No. 1 overall in the country.

Illinois is coming off of a much-needed bye week that was preceded by three-straight conference wins, including an upset in Madison over Wisconsin and a defensive slugfest in Champaign, where the Orange and Blue held the Hawkeyes to six points in a night-cap victory.

Despite all of the recent excitement coming out of Champaign, there is still more work to do. Coming back from the bye week, Bret Bielema and company will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on a Cornhuskers (3-4, 2-2 B1G) team that is scratching and clawing to have a chance at a bowl berth under interim head coach, Mickey Joseph.

The Illini are looking for their third-straight win against Nebraska and a chance at not just moving one step closer to a shot at a Big Ten Championship berth, but a spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings for the 2022 season. At press time, Illinois is ranked No. 17 in the latest edition of the AP Poll, moving up one spot from a week prior.

The Illinois football path to Indianapolis is simple, yet also complex.

Illinois had several results go their way this past weekend, including a Penn State thumping of Minnesota, a blowout in Columbus, a Purdue letdown, and a nail-biting Maryland win against Illinois’ in-state foe, Northwestern.

With these outcomes, Illinois has a two-game division lead over Minnesota, Northwestern, and Iowa, two of which the Illini have already beaten. With another Wildcats loss (they travel to Iowa City Saturday), not only will Northwestern be mathematically eliminated from the Big Ten title race, but a bowl game as well.

You never want to assume anything in sports, but given the current state of the Wildcats, their offensive ineptitude, and poor coaching decisions, they’re on the outside looking in.

From an Illinois perspective, the game to pencil in is obvious. November 12. Purdue. At Memorial Stadium. Assuming both teams handle business in their respective games – Illinois (@Nebraska, home vs. Michigan State Nov. 5), and Purdue (@Iowa Nov. 5), the Illini and Boilimakers will, in all likelihood, be playing for the Big Ten West and who will represent half of the conference in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 3.

Although Illini Nation is looking toward the future, Bielema wants to take it one game at a time, he says.

"“I get the question. I understand the point,” Bielema said Monday.  “But really, we just worry about Nebraska. I think outside world always pays attention; not to say as a head coach that you don’t look at things as they lay. We literally started Sunday’s meeting just as we would any other game, or any other week. Just look at the world of college football around you. It’s just, it’s fun to be in that position, a year ago, I didn’t really do it. But we started doing that this year, even before we really became someone that got talked about, because I wanted them understand what was coming.”"

So, is it time to start making hotel and/or flight reservations? Maybe. The world will find out soon enough.