Illinois football taking down Ohio State on Saturday would launch us into heights this program has never seen before.
The Illini could do a lot of good work when it comes to the College Football Playoff on Saturday. A victory would be huge, but even a close loss gets us some love from the national media.
Illinois has a really good program from top to bottom. Even with that, help from other teams is always good for the soul.
Here are five games all Illinois football fans should keep an eye on in week seven
- No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon
I know that most Illinois fans will wonder why this game matters. It is simple in my eyes. Let’s get Indiana looking as good as possible.
That hurts the soul to say. I always want the Hoosiers to lose as many games as possible, but when we get down to the end of the season, the College Football Playoff committee will look at losses.
Illinois was blown out by the Hoosiers. Having Indiana beat the No. 3 team in the country and move into the top five nationally would only make our loss look better. Indiana needs to finish in the top five in the nation this season to help perception when the final 12 teams are picked for the playoffs.
- No. 18 BYU at Arizona
BYU is a good team, but I want as many Big 12 teams to get knocked down as possible. Arizona has a chance to help Illinois on Saturday.
The Big 12 beating up on each other will only hurt the conference when it comes to the College Football Playoff. Getting the Cougars out of the top 20 in the nation will keep them at arm's length of the Illini.
In addition to that, we need more teams with losses. The odds say Illinois will fall to Ohio State. A two-loss Illini squad will need more help down the stretch. A loss for BYU helps Illinois potentially catch them at the end.
- NC State at No. 16 Notre Dame
Get Notre Dame out of my life. The Irish will always get as much help as possible when it comes to any College Football Playoff discussions.
Granted, Notre Dame did make it to the championship game last season, but a loss against North Carolina State gives the Irish three losses on the season.
I think a three-loss Notre Dame team is eliminated, especially with their weak schedule on the way out. This helps Illinois regardless of the Ohio State outcome.
- No. 15 Michigan at USC
This game is very intriguing. Illinois doesn’t play Michigan this season, but we are the one USC loss on their record.
The Trojans could help the Illini in a big way on Saturday. Michigan is somehow the No. 15 team in the country. USC beating the Wolverines would likely drop them out of the top 20.
Since USC has already fallen to Illinois, I think that gives us a leg up on them when it comes to the rankings. A Michigan loss on Saturday gives them two losses, and USC still has one. That would be best for the Illini.
- South Carolina at No. 11 LSU
South Carolina is a dangerous team despite their 3-2 start. This program has some decent talent, and I think we could be in for an upset on Saturday night.
LSU is ranked No. 11 in the country after a recent loss to Ole Miss. They struggled against Florida, and having a loss to an unranked South Carolina squad would hurt their College Football Playoff chances greatly.
I also believe there is another loss for LSU down the road, as they have a three-game stretch of at No. 20 Vanderbilt, No. 5 Texas A&M, and at No. 8 Alabama after the game against the Gamecocks.