Illinois Bye Week: Games to Watch With CFP Implications for the Illini

Minnesota vs. Nebraska (Friday, 7 p.m. CT)

Nebraska has moved into the top 25 (No. 25 on the nose, actually), and after the demise of Penn State, the Cornhuskers have a legitimate path to the College Football Playoff. Nebraska's lone ranked matchup remaining is USC at home – although it plays a suddenly-conscious UCLA squad in Los Angeles, as well as the Nittany Lions at Happy Valley.

Regardless, every remaining outing is quite winnable for Matt Rhule’s club. Ideally, from Illinois’ perspective, a pesky Minnesota team is able to stave off Nebraska in Minneapolis on Friday night – which would serve as a useful blemish on the Cornhuskers’ resume, putting them on the outer edges of the CFP discussion, even if they manage to win out and finish at 10-2.

Duke vs. Georgia Tech (Saturday, 11 a.m. CT)

Much of the action that affects Illinois takes place in the Big Ten, but there are also implications coming from the southeast. Duke – which is likely now out of sight and out of mind for Illini fans – is riding a three-game winning streak and sits atop the ACC at 3-0 in conference play.

The Blue Devils have won their past three outings by a combined 71 points, but they will be put to the test Saturday against No. 12 Georgia Tech. Not only would a Duke win strengthen Illinois’ early-season victory in Durham, but it would also hand Georgia Tech its first loss, essentially ensuring the ACC will be a one-bid conference (Miami) – assuming, of course, the Hurricanes win their conference championship game.

Michigan vs. Washington (Saturday, 11 a.m. CT)

In a way, either result in this outing is a win for Illinois. An extra loss on Washington's or Michigan’s resume is a plus for the Illini down the stretch. That said, in a dream scenario, the Huskies knock off the Wolverines – who would then fall to 4-3 – and set up a huge matchup in Seattle for Week 9.

Then, Illinois makes the journey out west and takes down a (likely) ranked Washington squad, bolstering the resume of Bret Bielema’s squad while all-but knocking the Huskies out of the playoff picture.

Notre Dame vs. USC (Saturday, 6:30 p.m. CT)

Those other outings were straightforward in terms of which squad the Illini are “rooting” for, but this one isn’t. Both Notre Dame and USC are competing for CFP berths – but in different manners. As an Independent, the Fighting Irish are running their own race. As long as they win out – which will almost surely happen if they take down the Trojans – they’re basically a lock for the CFP. 

Now, if Notre Dame falls on Saturday, it will be out of the CFP mix entirely, opening up another spot – likely for either an SEC or Big Ten program.

Meanwhile, if USC takes down Notre Dame, it instantly has a better win to its name than Illinois does, and could then manage to fall at Oregon (as long as it's competitive), finish at 10-2 and would likely get into the CFP over the Illini.

Yes, unfortunately, even if both Illinois and USC finish at 10-2, the Trojans – who, theoretically, would own wins over Michigan, at Notre Dame and at Nebraska – would likely get into the CFP over the Illini, despite Bielema’s club owning the head-to-head advantage.