Where Illinois Football Fell in Recent Postseason Projections

Following an absolute dismantling in Bloomington (IN), Illinois Football must now find a way to silence the noise and get back on track ahead of another crucial Week 5 matchup, as No. 21 USC rolls into Champaign for Homecoming.

A 63–10 blowout at the hands of Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers dramatically dropped the Fighting Illini from No. 9 to No. 23 in the latest AP Poll—a fair drop considering the building concerns surrounding this veteran team. An experienced offensive line, which returned all five starters from last year’s Citrus Bowl victory, has struggled to protect Luke Altmyer or establish any consistency, further leading to slow offensive starts, and struggles to establish the run game. Illinois’ front 7 has really battled to generate pressure, even from the likes of All-American Gabe Jacas, which could spell trouble as conference play continues. To cap things off, injuries are beginning to pile up in Aaron Henry’s secondary—a troubling development with quarterbacks like USC’s Jayden Maiava coming to town riding momentum.

Illinois’ College Football Playoff hopes are still alive, but, pending a dramatic turnaround after this humbling loss, the road ahead just got a lot tougher. For now, most national outlets remain skeptical.

According to CBS Sports’ latest postseason projections, they predict Illinois Football to be outside of the 12-team field, facing Tennessee in the Music City Bowl on December 30th. Regardless, there’s a long season between now and then, and projections can and will change in an instant. A statement rebound win on homecoming vs Lincoln Riley and the Trojans would definitely shift some momentum back in the Illini’s direction, and potentially get Bret Bielema’s crew back on track. However, another bad loss, and the tumble will continue for Illinois.

Illinois Football. Week 5 Bowl Projection. Credit: CBS Sports.

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