Illinois football CFP rankings - Possible to jump (+5)
- No. 24 UNLV – W 27-16 San Jose State, #103 SOS
UNLV did not look good against an average Mountain West program. They only beat San Jose State by 11 points and were down by six at halftime. The Runnin’ Rebels have the No. 103 strength of schedule, so that works against them. I think there is a shot Illinois will jump UNLV despite them winning. They also have the Mountain West Championship game, which they could lose against Boise State.
- No. 22 Iowa State – W 31-28 Utah, #69 SOS
It was not a great weekend for Iowa State. A four-win Utah program made them sweat, as they had to score a last-minute touchdown to secure the win. The Cyclones only have two losses, but they have the No. 69 strength of schedule. It wouldn’t shock me to see Illinois jump Iowa State this week despite the win for the Cyclones. They also play Kansas State next week, which will be tough.
- No. 20 Tulane – Bye Week, #100 SOS
Tulane had a bye week, so they didn’t play. The Green Wave has two losses and a strength of schedule of No. 100 in the country. Illinois’ win was electric, so maybe the CFP committee will move Illinois ahead of Tulane. That wouldn’t surprise me at all. They also have Memphis next week, so there is another chance for a loss.
- No. 14 BYU – L 28-23 Arizona State, #39 SOS
Falling to a ranked Arizona State program isn’t terrible, but BYU has now lost back-to-back games. They fell to Kansas the week before. With two straight losses, it wouldn’t shock me to see them drop below Illinois. They also have the No. 39 strength of schedule.
- No. 9 Ole Miss – L 24-17 Florida, #27 SOS
I mentioned earlier that the CFP committee likes them some SEC, so this one might be a long shot. But Ole Miss is struggling of late. They fell to a five-win Florida team on Saturday. They also had another bad loss to Kentucky earlier this season. Ole Miss has dropped three out of the past seven games. They also have a worse strength of schedule than Illinois at No. 27.