Our loss to Indiana was probably the worst loss of any of the top 25. Our strength of schedule is weak. Just be glad we're as high as we are and pray we win out the regular season. LSU for example has some quality wins that we just can't compare anything to. IMHO of course.
Bowl/Playoff Projections - Illinois #16 in CFB Playoff Top 25
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IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
Angry Chair and Cigar City Brewing (and Meadry) would like a word with you.For selfish reasons I want to avoid the RelilaQuest. My dad and I went to Tampa for the USF game in 2017 and other than a really good seafood place there wasn't much to write home about (I'm assuming any other location we get would also have good seafood). We also went to the Sugar Bowl in 02 and the Rose Bowl in 08 but can't say I'd be disappointed with going back to NOLA or Pasadena.
Tampa has some great breweries, honestly. Those were just two of our favorites
Can confirm. Check out 3 Daughters and Coppertail as well.
Magnanimous Brewing is awesome.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
The CFB world seems to have decided, for sure, that OSU and Michigan are truly legit teams in the Big Ten. If we can win the games we are favored in (MSU, PU, NU), even a close loss in Ann Arbor will go a long way toward changing the perception.
In short, we have at least one and likely two MASSIVE opportunities … as daunting as it is, we do control our destiny. And that’s an amazing feeling we haven’t had in years - way before 2007, likely 2001 - by this point in the season!
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
I knew I forgot one
User name definitely checks out
band camp
- STL City
That does suck. But, they suck worse.Do you realize if we were to win out, win every game remaining in the seaso that we get to play, Indiana would STILL get to say they beat Illinois. Are we ready for that?
hooraybeer
- Pittsburgh, PA
as others have said, i am of the mind that without that early season loss, we aren't the team we are today and would have likely dropped a winnable game later in the season, putting us in a worse position in late-season rankings. we needed that loss
I wonder when the celebrities will start to show up. Such as a Bill Murray. Then the cameras can show him before each TV break.
Lot of football left, but I would agree on those two, especially given Clemson is already ranked 4th, and TCU 7th. One of Georgia/Tennessee would have to drop down, and then one among the winner/LSU/AL will have to lose in the conf champ game. Seems to me that sets up well for any undefeated P5.
I think the tendency is for voters to split the difference when there's an upset. I.e. they think the lower ranked team gains about half the difference, and the higher ranked team loses half the difference in their eyes. If Illinois were to do it twice over both Michigan and tOSU, that would be huge, but maybe not enough to go from 16th to top-4? I don't know how that shakes out, but conference champ with those two wins would be hard to ignore.
I don't know how much pull the SEC has in the committee if things are tight, but I can already hear the angry mobs if they don't get at least 2 teams in. They really need a 12 team format. Maybe getting only 1 SEC team in would push that along.
BU can use for bulletin board material.Do you realize if we were to win out, win every game remaining in the seaso that we get to play, Indiana would STILL get to say they beat Illinois. Are we ready for that?
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
I apologize, but I'm still stuck way back at the CFP member......that I assume is an adult male.....that allows himself to be called "Boo".
It's not as if it was presented as a nickname. Like Bobby "Boo" Corrigan.
It's not a weird cool name like "Coco Crisp".
No. Just Boo Corrigan.
Ok. People will take you seriously in spite of that I suppose.
Carry on.
It's not as if it was presented as a nickname. Like Bobby "Boo" Corrigan.
It's not a weird cool name like "Coco Crisp".
No. Just Boo Corrigan.
Ok. People will take you seriously in spite of that I suppose.
Carry on.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I am also 1000% convinced of this, and I'd put an even finer point on it: we lose the Iowa game if we'd somehow lucked into the Indiana win. The Iowa game at a minimum.
And I dunno about you but I'd make that trade every single time.
I have to agree with Chief. I'd trade any one win for a loss if it meant beating Iowa. Indiana seems fine. We had a new offense, it was game two, and we were still figuring out who we were. Who here thinks Indiana beats us again if we play them this Saturday? It is what it is. It's been a great season and we have more great season ahead. A bowl win or anything else like that is just icing on the cake. Fun season so far.
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
And give some credit to them, Connor Bazelak specifically.
Like every other QB this year we gave him a rough ride mentally and physically. Unlike every other QB this year he hung in there, stuck with it, and was still fighting and engaged enough to make the big throws in the big moments. Spencer Petras.....not so much. Brennan Armstrong had one foot back on the bus home by about the 2nd quarter of the Virginia game.
If I'm MSU or Purdue's QB coach that would be my message to my guy.
InDaAZ
- Eugene, Oregon
KBLEE
- Montgomery, IL
You might go by a nickname too if your first name was Eugene. Gene might make more sense than Boo, though.
There's plenty of, um, entertainment in Tampa if you know where to look.For selfish reasons I want to avoid the RelilaQuest. My dad and I went to Tampa for the USF game in 2017 and other than a really good seafood place there wasn't much to write home about (I'm assuming any other location we get would also have good seafood). We also went to the Sugar Bowl in 02 and the Rose Bowl in 08 but can't say I'd be disappointed with going back to NOLA or Pasadena
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I'm still kicking myself for not attending the Rose Bowl in 2008 (then again, I would have been a sophomore in high school trying to convince my dad to take me, so how much sway did I really have? ), and I will NOT miss it if we make it this time. I have a friend in Pasadena who even gets discounted tickets as a resident, so I told him if he lets me crash for free, I'd pay for this ticket and make him go to the game with me (my wife will have to stay back in Chicago and work, unfortunately).
So, other than obviously making the CFP (which would be unbelievably awesome), I am going to be cheering hard for all of the right things to happen for us to go to Pasadena!
), and I will NOT miss it if we make it this time. I have a friend in Pasadena who even gets discounted tickets as a resident, so I told him if he lets me crash for free, I'd pay for this ticket and make him go to the game with me (my wife will have to stay back in Chicago and work, unfortunately).So, other than obviously making the CFP (which would be unbelievably awesome), I am going to be cheering hard for all of the right things to happen for us to go to Pasadena!
From what I've noticed, the committee does a pretty good job of looking ahead so they are ready to give us a good ranking if we do pull off the Michigan upset, and also so they don't have to drop Michigan too low. They usually hedge against having to do anything too distract, like move us from 16 to 6 in one week, if that makes sense.
Right now they aren't worried about it, still lots of football between now and then. If we lose to MSU or Purdue, that ranking doesn't mean much obviously. But if we beat both, somehow we will float up to right around 10th or 11th. Then when we beat Michigan, it will be easy to have us jump up to 6th or 7th.
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