Illinois Football: Everything the Illini need to make the College Football Playoff

Sep 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive lineman Keith Randolph Jr. (88) and teammates celebrate Saturday’s 24-3 win over the Virginia Cavaliers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive lineman Keith Randolph Jr. (88) and teammates celebrate Saturday’s 24-3 win over the Virginia Cavaliers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 29: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs looks on during the first half of a game against the Florida Gators at TIAA Bank Field on October 29, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 29: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs looks on during the first half of a game against the Florida Gators at TIAA Bank Field on October 29, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /

12. Georgia and Tennessee take care of business

  • Play each other on November 5 at Georgia
  • Both teams probably win out from there
  • Whoever wins then beats LSU in the SEC Championship game
  • 1 loss for one team and 0 losses for the other

When it is all said and done, there are going to be four teams in the College Football Playoff, and I believe two are nearly guaranteed to come out of the SEC.

The No. 1 team in the country is Tennessee and the No. 3 team in the country is Georgia. They play each other this weekend to see who is the better program. This game will also determine who is going to win the SEC East this season.

I actually believe that, as long as the game is relatively close, this game won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. The loser will have one loss and won’t play in the SEC Championship game. I think they are a lock to be in the final four.

The winner of the game will then go on to, hopefully, play LSU for the SEC crown. Illinois needs the winner of the SEC East to win the SEC Championship game over LSU. That would give the Tigers three losses.

I believe two SEC teams are getting into the College Football Playoff. Those two SEC teams are likely going to be Tennessee and Georgia. One of the two teams will be the No. 1 seed and the other will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed.