The Illinois Fighting Illini haven't had a perfect season so far, but that doesn't mean they're already out of contention for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
At 5-2 overall, Illinois has only suffered two losses, and they came at the hands of the two top teams in the Big Ten: No. 1 Ohio State and then-No. 19 Indiana (who has since moved up to No. 2 in the country).
Since the Fighting Illini's only losses were against the two top teams in the country, their strength of schedule is still incredibly strong, including a ranked win over the then-No. 21 USC Trojans.
Can Illinois still make the College Football Playoffs?
When asked about Illinois's odds for making the Playoffs, which currently sit at 87 percent after the team's loss to Ohio State, Bielema responded confidently, showing that he has no doubt his team can still make it to the postseason.
"Literally, the best thing that can happen for us is they win out and play in the Big Ten title," Bielema said. "Very realistic to think that we'd be pretty high in [the CFP] ranking."
Illinois is currently ranked No. 23 in the nation, just behind the Texas Longhorns, despite the Fighting Illini having the stronger resume. The current rankings won't necessarily reflect the first or final College Football Playoff rankings.
The AP Top 25 Poll (supposedly) isn't supposed to sway the CFP voting committee when it comes down to how they rank the top 12 teams.
With the rest of Illinois's schedule relatively road-bump free, the Fighting Illini could easily win out, finishing the season 10-2 overall and 7-2 in Big Ten play. While they likely wouldn't play in the conference title game (unless something goes drastically wrong in Indiana and Ohio State's schedule), they could easily find a way into the College Football Playoffs.
This week, Illinois will play the Washington Huskies on Saturday, Oct. 25, and the game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT. The matchup will be aired on the Big Ten Network.