Illinois football provides massive shake-up to the College Football Playoff rankings

Coming into the week, the Illinois football team wasn’t anywhere near the top 25 in any poll.

Well, a win over the Maryland Terrapins and some key losses across the country have the Illini at least sniffing the AP Top 25. We were ranked No. 27, two spots outside the top 25.

While the AP Top 25 used to have more gravitas, that isn’t the case anymore. It is all about the College Football Playoff rankings.

On Tuesday night, the newest College Football Playoff rankings were revealed. I was just hoping Illinois would sneak in at No. 25, but the news was even better than that.

In the first batch of five teams to make the CFP Top 25, Illinois checked in at No. 21. We weren’t ranked last week, and now we are knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff top 20.

This is the third time in four seasons Illinois has seen its name in the College Football Playoff top 25. Last season, we reached as high as No. 20. In 2022, the Illini climbed to No. 16. Can we get to that number in 2025?

There is plenty of room for Illinois football to move up in the College Football Playoff rankings

While making the actual College Football Playoff is a pipe dream this season, the ability for the Illini to move up in the rankings is there for the taking.

Illinois has two games left this season. We are at Wisconsin this weekend, and then the season wraps up against Northwestern on November 29. That would give us nine wins if we knock both of those teams off.

With a win over the No. 15 team USC, and two of the three losses to No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana, Illinois’ resume doesn’t look too bad.

The Illini could easily move up to the highest we have ever been ranked, too. If Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, Texas, Georgia Tech, and USC all lose, which is entirely possible, Illinois would likely move up to No. 15 in the country. I mean, there is a chance for complete chaos, too. Let’s see where the chips fall the rest of the season.