Bowls/Playoff Projections

DeonThomas · Nov 4, 2025

7-2

WeWillWhen said:
Man, what could have been had the defense shown up at Washington …

Yep. 7-2 with losses only to #1 and #2.

Perhaps slotted where WASH is right now, and a high probability of winning out to land at 10-2. I do believe we would have made it!

Deep · Nov 4, 2025

Win the last 3 and see what happens

GatorMcKlusky · Nov 5, 2025

Latest bowl projections from ESPN: ReliaQuest Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 31 Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Bonagura: Illinois vs. Vanderbilt
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Tennessee Tuesday, Dec. 30 Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Nebraska vs. Missouri
Schlabach: Illinois vs. LSU

DeonThomas · Nov 5, 2025

Top 25 CFP teams, plus the Illini. This chart captures head-to-head performance against the Top 25 YTD:

Rk	Team	W	L	Tot
1	OSU	2	0	2
2	IND	2	0	2
3	TexAM	1	0	1
4	ALA	4	0	4
5	UGA	2	1	3
6	MISS	1	1	2
7	BYU	1	0	1
8	TexTech	1	0	1
9	OREG	0	1	1
10	ND	1	2	3
11	TEX	2	1	3
12	OKA	2	2	4
13	UTAH	0	2	2
14	UVA	1	0	1
15	LOU	2	1	3
16	VAN	1	2	3
17	GaTech	0	0	0
18	MIA	1	1	2
19	USC	1	1	2
20	IOWA	0	1	1
21	MICH	1	2	3
22	MIZZ	0	2	2
23	WASH	0	2	2
24	PITT	0	1	1
25	TENN	0	3	3
26	ILL	1	3	4

Birdus · Nov 5, 2025

DeonThomas said:
7-2

Yep. 7-2 with losses only to #1 and #2.

Perhaps slotted where WASH is right now, and a high probability of winning out to land at 10-2. I do believe we would have made it!

Washington, USC and IOWA are all ranked to low. USC could beat Miss or Georgia on a neutral. BIG will probably get 3 but at this point, SEC is set up for a party in the playoffs. I guess they will need another beat down come bowl time.

Birdus · Nov 5, 2025

Petty Time.

Ander1345 · Nov 5, 2025

Wouldn't Washington have 1 win against us? #23 at the time.

Illiniam1984 · Nov 5, 2025

Birdus said:
Washington, USC and IOWA are all ranked to low. USC could beat Miss or Georgia on a neutral. BIG will probably get 3 but at this point, SEC is set up for a party in the playoffs. I guess they will need another beat down come bowl time.

Iowa is ranked where they should be at this point of the season. If you check out the remainder of their schedule, it’s definitely no cakewalk. They have Oregon, USC, MSU and Nebraska. I see possibly two losses in there…These initial rankings are all kind of just for discussion and amusement at this point with how many games are left to be played.

redwingillini11 · Nov 5, 2025

College football Week 11 bowl projections: Can UNC reach six-win mark to earn an invite?

Beyond the College Football Playoff race, there are some interesting developing stories in the push for bowl season.

www.nytimes.com

Music CityDec. 30, 2025

BIG TEN 5Illinois

SEC 3-8Vanderbilt

College football bowl projections see playoff field shuffled after Week 10 upsets

The upsets in Week 10 of the college football season have led to several changes to the playoff field in the latest USA TODAY Sports bowl projections.

www.usatoday.com

Dec. 30

Music City

SEC vs. Big Ten

Tennessee vs. Illinois

College Football Playoff, bowl projections after Week 10

There was some stability at the top, but a host of upsets and key results shook up the bowl picture.

www.espn.com

ReliaQuest Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Bonagura: Illinois vs. Vanderbilt

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

College Football Playoff and Bowl Projections After Week 10: BYU, Virginia Miss Auto Bids

New Mexico, Southern Miss and Temple all eyeing bowl bids after several seasons of missing out.

www.si.com

Vegas Bowl

Dec. 31

Arizona State vs. Illinois

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/bowl-projections-2025

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)

Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: NC State vs. Illinois

College Football Bowl Projections 2025-26

CBS Sports experts select the college football teams they believe will make the NCAA National Semifinals at the end of the 2025 season and give projections for each game.

www.cbssports.com

Dec. 31

Las Vegas

Illinois

vs.

Cincinnati

Big Ten vs. Pac-12

SEC bowl projections after Week 10: Don't count out Vanderbilt quite yet

SEC Bowl Projections after Week 10: Some things have changed after another impactful week in our College Football Playoff picks.

www.saturdaydownsouth.com

Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Illinois

DeonThomas · Nov 5, 2025

Ander1345 said:
Wouldn't Washington have 1 win against us? #23 at the time.

The wins/losses in my chart are versus those 25 teams currently ranked by the CFP....as released last nite.

lstewart53x3 · Nov 5, 2025

DeonThomas said:
Top 25 CFP teams, plus the Illini. This chart captures head-to-head performance against the Top 25 YTD:

Rk Team W L Tot
1 OSU 2 0 2
2 IND 2 0 2
3 TexAM 1 0 1
4 ALA 4 0 4
5 UGA 2 1 3
6 MISS 1 1 2
7 BYU 1 0 1
8 TexTech 1 0 1
9 OREG 0 1 1
10 ND 1 2 3
11 TEX 2 1 3
12 OKA 2 2 4
13 UTAH 0 2 2
14 UVA 1 0 1
15 LOU 2 1 3
16 VAN 1 2 3
17 GaTech 0 0 0
18 MIA 1 1 2
19 USC 1 1 2
20 IOWA 0 1 1
21 MICH 1 2 3
22 MIZZ 0 2 2
23 WASH 0 2 2
24 PITT 0 1 1
25 TENN 0 3 3
26 ILL 1 3 4

This is amazing thanks for putting this together.

lstewart53x3 · Nov 5, 2025

DeonThomas said:
Top 25 CFP teams, plus the Illini. This chart captures head-to-head performance against the Top 25 YTD:

Rk Team W L Tot
1 OSU 2 0 2
2 IND 2 0 2
3 TexAM 1 0 1
4 ALA 4 0 4
5 UGA 2 1 3
6 MISS 1 1 2
7 BYU 1 0 1
8 TexTech 1 0 1
9 OREG 0 1 1
10 ND 1 2 3
11 TEX 2 1 3
12 OKA 2 2 4
13 UTAH 0 2 2
14 UVA 1 0 1
15 LOU 2 1 3
16 VAN 1 2 3
17 GaTech 0 0 0
18 MIA 1 1 2
19 USC 1 1 2
20 IOWA 0 1 1
21 MICH 1 2 3
22 MIZZ 0 2 2
23 WASH 0 2 2
24 PITT 0 1 1
25 TENN 0 3 3
26 ILL 1 3 4

Some interesting takeaways:

1. There are zero teams ranked above us in the CFP who have played more top 25 teams than we have.
2. There are just two who have played the same amount, so we’re currently in a 3-way tie for most difficult schedule.
3. There are 8 teams ranked above us who have played 0 or 1 top 25 team. With their schedules, we’d be top 10 in this poll.
4. There are 8 teams ranked above us who have yet to beat a ranked team.

bluemountain · Nov 5, 2025

TheChief4Life said:
Iowa at 20?

Iowa is one play away from being in serious playoff contention. They could have very well beaten IU and are the only team who has been able to keep it close against them.

Illiniam1984 · Nov 5, 2025

bluemountain said:
Iowa is one play away from being in serious playoff contention. They could have very well beaten IU and are the only team who has been able to keep it close against them.

Yes but they are also one loss away from being out of the CFP….

BrownTown · Nov 5, 2025

redwingillini11 said:
College football Week 11 bowl projections: Can UNC reach six-win mark to earn an invite?

Beyond the College Football Playoff race, there are some interesting developing stories in the push for bowl season.

www.nytimes.com

Music CityDec. 30, 2025

BIG TEN 5Illinois

SEC 3-8Vanderbilt

College football bowl projections see playoff field shuffled after Week 10 upsets

The upsets in Week 10 of the college football season have led to several changes to the playoff field in the latest USA TODAY Sports bowl projections.

www.usatoday.com

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

College Football Playoff, bowl projections after Week 10

There was some stability at the top, but a host of upsets and key results shook up the bowl picture.

www.espn.com

ReliaQuest Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Bonagura: Illinois vs. Vanderbilt

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

College Football Playoff and Bowl Projections After Week 10: BYU, Virginia Miss Auto Bids

New Mexico, Southern Miss and Temple all eyeing bowl bids after several seasons of missing out.

www.si.com

Vegas Bowl Dec. 31 Arizona State vs. Illinois

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/bowl-projections-2025

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)
Location: Yankee Stadium in Bronx, N.Y.
Tie-In: ACC vs. Big Ten
Projection: NC State vs. Illinois

College Football Bowl Projections 2025-26

CBS Sports experts select the college football teams they believe will make the NCAA National Semifinals at the end of the 2025 season and give projections for each game.

www.cbssports.com

Dec. 31 Las Vegas

Illinois vs.

Cincinnati Big Ten vs. Pac-12

SEC bowl projections after Week 10: Don't count out Vanderbilt quite yet

SEC Bowl Projections after Week 10: Some things have changed after another impactful week in our College Football Playoff picks.

www.saturdaydownsouth.com

Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Illinois

Am I wrong for wanting to somehow end up in the Pinstripe Bowl (contingent on us being 9-3 in this scenario).

I don't know how many guys opt out this bowl season. I want us to have the best chance at a 10 win campaign as possible.

I don't care that much as to which non-CFP bowl game we win. Having back to back 10 win seasons in the goal for me.

illinoistradition · Nov 5, 2025

bluemountain said:
Iowa is one play away from being in serious playoff contention. They could have very well beaten IU and are the only team who has been able to keep it close against them.

On the flip side, they nearly lost to a flailing PSU team at home (and really should have--PSU snatched defeat from the jaws of victory) and also had a tight game against Rutgers. If we had their schedule so far, we would also be in playoff contention. That loss to Iowa State looks worse and worse now that they are free falling.

Illiniam1984 · Nov 5, 2025

illinoistradition said:
On the flip side, they nearly lost to a flailing PSU team at home (and really should have--PSU snatched defeat from the jaws of victory) and also had a tight game against Rutgers. If we had their schedule so far, we would also be in playoff contention. That loss to Iowa State looks worse and worse now that they are free falling.

Yes all valid points….Oregon game this weekend is going tell a lot.

SescIllini · Nov 5, 2025

GatorMcKlusky said:
Latest bowl projections from ESPN: ReliaQuest Bowl
Wednesday, Dec. 31 Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
Noon, ESPN
Bonagura: Illinois vs. Vanderbilt
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Tennessee Tuesday, Dec. 30 Music City Bowl
Nissan Stadium (Nashville, Tennessee)
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Bonagura: Nebraska vs. Missouri
Schlabach: Illinois vs. LSU

Would love to be in Tampa in Dec 31st

Birdus · Nov 5, 2025

No one was nor is talking much about the Hawkeyes.

Chukwuwumba · Nov 5, 2025

It looks like South Carolina will miss a bowl this year.

And possibly cause Clemson to miss a bowl as well.

GraingerGremlin · Nov 5, 2025

WeWillWhen said:
Man, what could have been had the defense shown up at Washington …

Looks like that Washington game is going to hurt just as much as the Minnesota game last year... Will finish 9-3 and always think what could have been if only not for that game.

TheChief4Life · Nov 5, 2025

GraingerGremlin said:
Looks like that Washington game is going to hurt just as much as the Minnesota game last year... Will finish 9-3 and always think what could have been if only not for that game.

While I agree "numerically", I think the Minnesota game last year was WAY more disastrous. Washington is a team that could possibly finish in the top 20 CFP rankings. It was always going to be a tall order to beat Washington, especially at Washington. The Minnesota game last year, though....

That game was inexcusable.

blackdog · Nov 5, 2025

DeonThomas said:
Top 25 CFP teams, plus the Illini. This chart captures head-to-head performance against the Top 25 YTD:

Rk Team W L Tot
1 OSU 2 0 2
2 IND 2 0 2
3 TexAM 1 0 1
4 ALA 4 0 4
5 UGA 2 1 3
6 MISS 1 1 2
7 BYU 1 0 1
8 TexTech 1 0 1
9 OREG 0 1 1
10 ND 1 2 3
11 TEX 2 1 3
12 OKA 2 2 4
13 UTAH 0 2 2
14 UVA 1 0 1
15 LOU 2 1 3
16 VAN 1 2 3
17 GaTech 0 0 0
18 MIA 1 1 2
19 USC 1 1 2
20 IOWA 0 1 1
21 MICH 1 2 3
22 MIZZ 0 2 2
23 WASH 0 2 2
24 PITT 0 1 1
25 TENN 0 3 3
26 ILL 1 3 4

Relevant

https://twitter.com/x/status/1985814612059832515

lstewart53x3 · Nov 5, 2025

blackdog said:
Relevant

https://twitter.com/x/status/1985814612059832515

Bullsh*t.

There are 8 teams in the top 25 of the first CFP rankings with ZERO top 25 wins. Yet, we have a top 25 win with *all three* of our losses coming to top 25 teams and weft unranked.

Dkayak · Nov 5, 2025

lstewart53x3 said:
Bullsh*t.

There are 8 teams in the top 25 of the first CFP rankings with ZERO top 25 wins. Yet, we have a top 25 win with *all three* of our losses coming to top 25 teams and weft unranked.

Agreed. You simply can’t reconcile the top 25 with the stated criteria.

Bowls/Playoff Projections

White and Sixth

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)​

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)​

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)

Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 27)