Illinois football enters week nine of the 2025 season still with hope to make the College Football Playoff.
Let me first start by saying, everything below this sentence doesn’t matter if the Illini can’t beat Washington. It all starts with Illinois taking down a talented Huskies team on the road.
If that happens, more dominoes can start falling. There are some important games Illinois fans can keep an eye on that would help us when it comes to the decisions on which programs make the College Football Playoff.
Here are five key week nine games for Illinois’ College Football Playoff hopes
- UCLA at No. 2 Indiana
Illinois has two losses on the season right now. We fell to No. 1 Ohio State two weeks ago, and the other loss was to now-No. 2 Indiana.
The Hoosiers, as painful as it is to say, need to keep winning. We need Ohio State and Indiana to stay atop the rankings because that makes Illinois look better. If we can get to the end of the season 10-2 with our only two losses to top-five programs, then I think we get in the College Football Playoff.
- No. 8 Ole Miss at No. 13 Oklahoma
I don’t think Illinois passes Ole Miss if they fall to Oklahoma. But I don’t think the same can be said if Oklahoma falls to the Rebels.
The Sooners were thumped by Texas two weeks ago. Another loss would get them two losses in a three-week span. That could send them to somewhere in the 20s, which would likely enable the Illini to pass them in the rankings. It would be nice if Ole Miss won this game by double digits.
- Baylor at No. 21 Cincinnati
It is still weird that Cincinnati is in the Big 12, but I digress. Much like the ACC, I don’t think the Big 12 has a lot of clout when it comes to the rankings and the College Football Playoff.
Cincinnati isn’t a juggernaut, so if Baylor can pull the upset, Illinois wouldn’t have to worry about the Bearcats anymore this season. That would send them out of the rankings.
- No. 22 Texas at Mississippi State
Texas seems like a team that has nine lives. They have a name brand, and with two losses, they are squarely in the mix for the College Football Playoff. So, I will say this nicely. GET TEXAS OUT OF MY LIFE.
The Bulldogs need to win this game. The Longhorns are like the bad guy in a horror movie. You might think you have killed them, but somehow, they show up behind you in the mirror in the bathroom. Texas just doesn’t go away. But with a third loss, that might be the nail in the coffin.
- No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 20 LSU
On a similar note to that of Texas, GET LSU OUT OF MY LIFE. The Tigers are another big brand that has staying power because of the name.
LSU is ahead of Illinois in the rankings with two losses. A third loss, albeit to a good Texas A&M team, would surely knock them out of College Football Playoff contention, right? I’ll spare you another horror movie analogy. Gig ‘em.