Bowls/Playoff Projections

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#1      

redwingillini11

White and Sixth
Batavia
Preseason Edition:

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3 p.m., ABC

Schlabach: Illinois vs. Texas A&M

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium (Bronx, New York)
Noon, ABC

Bonagura: North Carolina vs. Illinois


Dec. 31 Las Vegas team logo
Illinois
vs.
team logo
UCLA
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 3:30pm Las Vegas, Nev.

TransPerfect Music City Bowl​

Tuesday, December 30, 2025
5:30, ESPN
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC
Last Season: Missouri 27, Iowa 24
2023 Season: Maryland 31, Auburn 13

Preseason Bowl Projection
Illinois (8-4) vs Tennessee (8-4)
CFP First Round GameIllinoisNotre DameDecember 20TBD

Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)​

Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection: Illinois vs. Arizona State


Citrus Bowl
Illinois vs. Alabama


Dec. 31Reliaquest BowlIllinois vs. Oklahoma

Music City Bowl (Dec. 30)
Nashville, Tenn.
Ole Miss vs. Illinois
 
#3      
Those predicting the Citrus Bowl haven’t done their homework. While it’s possible, the bowls move heaven and earth to try to avoid back-to-back appearances.
Not sure I see this one either, B1G vs B1G? Unless there is some contract affiliation carryover from the old days of the PAC-12?

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#7      
I love that the media refuses to put us in the playoffs lol
There was one projection for the playoffs. I actually do not think these projections are that bad. We are ranked #12 going into the season, which is fringe CFP territory. I think Citrus Bowl territory is very valid to the preseason ranking. Now, of course, it seems like a strange projection, as we were in that game last season.

Given the history of Illini football after a very good season having major falloffs, it is safe to take the cautious approach to projections. We should be celebrating that the floor of projections so far is Pinstripe Bowl or Las Vegas Bowl...this is indicative to the turnaround Coach B has made on this program. As a fanbase we are used to being nowhere on the board for bowl projections in the preseason or only on a couple of projections (and even those are generally for Detroit).
 
#11      
I love that the media refuses to put us in the playoffs lol

It takes a lot more analysis with the changes to the college landscape. Lazy voters go off brand names. Someone posted 13 of the top 25 weren't in the preseason last year.
 
#12      

Dec. 19 or 20Campus sitesCFP first roundIllinois at Texas
Jan. 1RoseCFP quarterfinalsNo. 3 Penn State vs. Illinois-Texas winner

Music City Dec. 30, 2025
Logo for Illinois

BIG TEN 5Illinois
Logo for Ole Miss

SEC 3-8Ole Miss


PinstripeIllinois vs Duke

Not Bowl Projection, But...


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Illinois6393

BONUS HYPOTHETICAL B1G vs SEC SHOWDOWN

4. LSU vs. Illinois​

Location: Memphis, Tenn. When it comes to Illinois, most people think only of Chicago. In reality, temperature and accent are the only things culturally that separate Downstate Illinois from the Mid-South. Of course, Louisiana is different from everybody else.

Dochterman: This might be familiar territory for Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer, who grew up in Starkville, Miss. The Illini bring back 16 starters at all of the right spots from a 10-win team. LSU returns one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in Garrett Nussmeier and, as always, one of the nation’s best rosters. While Altmyer is terrific in late-game moments, this one is a bit much to handle. LSU, 31-23.

Emerson:
Bret Bielema beat LSU twice when he was at Arkansas, including in Death Valley when the Tigers were a top-10 team. But he wouldn’t do it this time: Kelly seems to have an urgency to win big this year, and the defense should finally turn a corner, with Harold Perkins playing a more natural edge-rushing spot. LSU, 27-16.
 
#15      
This isn't related to Bowl Projections for Illinois, but rather about Wisconsin, their schedule, and whether or not they make a bowl game. I bask in the fact that our programs appear to be, at least for now, headed in opposite directions. Bucky has had our number in football since the late 80's/early 90's. Last year Wisconsin missed their first bowl game since 2001. And now they face arguably the toughest schedule in the B1G, if not all of college football. Oddsmakers put their over/under win total at 5.5. And I find it amusing that this Badgernotes.com article suggests that somehow the current NCAA system makes the playing field unlevel against Wisconsin. I say quite the opposite is true, the current NCAA system has significantly leveled the playing field for all teams. I hope our Illini dominate Wisconsin when we visit them in Madison on Nov. 22nd.

Badgernotes Column: Wisconsin football can't hide behind a difficult 2025 schedule

From the article:
"The truth is, no one’s coming to fix it for Wisconsin either. People love to talk about how the system needs guardrails, how there needs to be accountability, but that’s not the era we live in anymore. Media rights deals are too big, the money’s too entrenched, and university presidents aren’t about to put their own cash cow on the chopping block. The enforcement mechanisms that once mattered in college athletics don’t carry the same weight when TV partners are writing blank checks.

What that means on the ground is simple: you can’t bank on the NCAA's ecosystem leveling the playing field. The sport isn’t going to slow down, and the haves aren’t going to fall back to the pack because someone higher up decides it’s the “right thing to do.”
That's not happening. Wisconsin either climbs the mountain or risks getting buried under it."
 
#16      
Wow, I have been asleep on the job. My apologies.


Illinois moved up a couple seeding places with an impressive road win at Duke,

Dec. 19 or 20Campus sitesCFP first roundIllinois vs. Texas
Jan. 1RoseCFP quarterfinalsNo. 1 Ohio State vs. Illinois-Texas winner

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3 p.m., ABC

Bonagura: Illinois vs. Tennessee
Schlabach: Illinois vs. Alabama

Dec. 31 Las Vegas team logo
Illinois
vs.
team logo
Arizona State
Big Ten vs. Pac-12 3:30pm Las Vegas, Nev.

Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31)​

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Illinois vs. Tennessee

Las VegasWashington vs Illinois

ReliaQuest Bowl​

Wednesday, December 31, 2025
12:00, ESPN
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC, ACC,
Last Season: Michigan 19, Alabama 13
Last. Week: USC vs Ole Miss

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Tennessee Volunteers


Citrus Bowl
Illinois vs. Ole Miss


ReliaQuest BowlDec. 31South Carolina vs. Illinois
 
#17      
Wow, I have been asleep on the job. My apologies.




Dec. 19 or 20Campus sitesCFP first roundIllinois vs. Texas
Jan. 1RoseCFP quarterfinalsNo. 1 Ohio State vs. Illinois-Texas winner

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
3 p.m., ABC

Bonagura: Illinois vs. Tennessee
Schlabach: Illinois vs. Alabama

Dec. 31Las Vegasteam logo
Illinois
vs.
team logo
Arizona State
Big Ten vs. Pac-123:30pmLas Vegas, Nev.

Citrus Bowl (Dec. 31)​

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. SEC
Projection: Illinois vs. Tennessee

Las VegasWashington vs Illinois

ReliaQuest Bowl​

Wednesday, December 31, 2025
12:00, ESPN
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, SEC, ACC,
Last Season: Michigan 19, Alabama 13
Last. Week: USC vs Ole Miss

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Tennessee Volunteers


Citrus Bowl
Illinois vs. Ole Miss


ReliaQuest BowlDec. 31South Carolina vs. Illinois
Apparently some of those people are also asleep. Washington vs Illinois? South Carolina again? The Citrus Bowl again?
 
#23      
Bowls typically do not invite the same team back to back years. So if we do not make the playoffs, I bet they will not invite us to the Citrus Bowl. Even though we recently played in the Reliant Bowl, that would be the next best bowl.
Not sure your point in quoting me. My point was that there's a huge percentage of the sports commentary community that has no interest in doing homework to get a story right.
 
#24      
By far our best bowl projection recap of all time.


CFB Playoff First Round
Dec. 19 or 20Jones AT&T Stadium
Lubbock, Texas.
(8) Texas Tech vs. (9) IllinoisWinner faces (1) Ohio State

9. Illinois: The Illini are big winners in Week 3 after clobbering Western Michigan and now, it looks like the Big Ten has a path toward a fourth playoff entry following Notre Dame's loss to Texas A&M.


Bonagura: No. 9 Texas at No. 8 Illinois
Schlabach:
No. 10 Illinois at No. 7 Florida State

CFP National Quarterfinal at Rose Bowl​

Bonagura: No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 1 Ohio State

ReliaQuest BowlDec. 31Illinois vs. Ole Miss
No. 9 Florida State at No. 8 Illinois

Dec. 19 or 20CFB Playoff First RoundTexas at Illinoiswinner faces (1) Ohio State

Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31): Washington vs. Illinois

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl​

Wednesday, December 31, 2025
3:30, ESPN
Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Bowl Affiliations: Big Ten, Former Pac-12
Last Season: USC 35, Texas A&M 31
Last. Week: Indiana Hoosiers vs Arizona State Sun Devils

Illinois Fighting Illini vs Arizona Wildcats

No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 11 Illinois
 
#25      
*sigh*

Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
5:30 p.m., ESPN

Schlabach: Illinois vs. Auburn

ReliaQuest Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN

Bonagura: Illinois vs. Tennessee

Dec. 30 Music City team logo
Illinois
vs.
team logo
Tennessee
Big Ten vs. SEC

Dec. 30
Music City Bowl
Alabama vs. Illinois

ReliaQuest BowlDec. 31Illinois vs. Ole Miss

Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 31)​

Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tie-In: Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Projection: Illinois vs. Arizona State

Music CityAlabama vs Illinois

Music City Bowl
Illinois vs. South Carolina
 
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