Well, it wasn’t a great week for the Illinois football program, as we failed to knock off the top team in the land.
It isn’t an easy feat to take on Ohio State. The Illini fought tough, but mental errors did us in. I legitimately believe Illinois could have at least given the Buckeyes a scare if it weren’t for so many self-inflicted wounds.
That game is behind us now, though. We can’t dwell on the things we can’t change. With the loss, Illinois now drops to 5-2 on the season. The AP Top 25 has us at No. 26 in the country, so we don’t even have a little number next to our name anymore.
With five games left of the regular season, Illinois still has a fighting chance at making the College Football Playoff. That dream is not dead by any means.
Illinois football College Football Playoff resume
It honestly isn’t a bad resume to this point. Plenty of teams have losses, as only nine out of the 25 teams in the AP Top 25 are undefeated. In fact, there are two teams in the top 25 that have two losses.
Illinois’ two blemishes are against No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Indiana. There isn’t another team in the nation that can say their only two losses are against top three teams. Notre Dame can come close to saying that, as they are 4-2 and their two losses are to No. 2 Miami and No. 4 Texas A&M.
Losses on the resume aren’t going to get you into the College Football Playoff. Illinois needs to prove they can win games against decent teams, too. They have done that this season.
Illinois has a strength of record of No. 13 in the country. On top of that, the strength of schedule for the Orange and Blue ranks No. 4 in the nation. Being 5-2 with that tough of a schedule is something special.
We went on the road and thrashed a Duke team that is 4-2 and is currently plowing through the ACC. The Blue Devils have votes to be ranked in the Coaches Poll.
After the tough loss to No. 3 Indiana, Illinois rebounded and beat now-No. 20 USC. The win over Duke and USC shows that the Illini can beat good teams. Out of the seven games Illinois played, five of them are against power-four opponents, and we are 1-2 against top 25 programs. And we showed we can go on the road against an out-of-conference power-four program and come back with a victory. Not a lot of teams can say the same.
Illinois football College Football Playoff path
It all starts with taking care of business. Illinois can’t lose another game, or the dream is over. We needed a bye week after playing seven straight weeks.
The next opponent is a big one for the Illini. We start back up on the road against a Washington team that is knocking on the door of the top 25. This is a squad that is 5-1 with their only loss to No. 1 Ohio State.
Illinois then has Rutgers and Maryland at home. A road trip to Wisconsin follows. And then the 2025 regular season wraps up with Northwestern at home.
Taking care of business and going 5-0 in the final five games gives us a chance to snag that College Football Playoff spot. It is one of the weaker schedules in the country, too.
Illinois’ remaining strength of schedule ranks No. 63 in the nation. But, on top of the Illini winning out, we are going to need some carnage in front of us as well.
So, essentially, Illinois should be targeting a top-11 ranking in the country. Each week, we need a few teams to start dropping. It all starts in week eight.
On Friday night, Minnesota has a chance to take out No. 25 Nebraska. A matchup between No. 10 LSU and No. 17 Vanderbilt on Saturday is a big one. I would love to see Duke take out No. 12 Georgia Tech at home.
I am also keeping an eye on No. 14 Oklahoma going to South Carolina. Washington State goes to No. 18 Virginia and could end their bid for the College Football Playoff. And then there is the matchup between No. 20 USC and No. 13 Notre Dame. That is a big one if the Fighting Irish fall.
The path for Illinois to the College Football Playoff is murky, but there is a path without a doubt. A good week off enables us to sit back and watch the carnage as teams eat each other up. Let’s see where we stand in the new AP Top 25 next Sunday after all of the dust settles.