College football · Illinois Fighting Illini · Playoff picture
Illinois · Playoff picture
Will Illinois make the College Football Playoff?
Not if the season ended today: Illinois is unranked and does not lead the Big Ten.
UCLA leads the Big Ten at 4-0; Illinois is 1-2. Six games are left, three against ranked teams. This is the standings as they stand, not a forecast.
Illinois · playoff chances, the forecast
Make the 12-team playoff
<1%
First-round bye
<1%
Win its conference
<1%
Win the national title
<1%
Average regular-season record
5.4-6.7
From 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season, updated Updated Sat, Oct 24, 2026, 9:05 AM ET. The table above is the field if the season ended today; this is where it is likely to end. Every team's playoff odds.
The field today, seeds 7 to 12
Record
How in
First round
Byes: Miami, BYU, Ohio State, Notre Dame. First out: Kentucky, No. 12.
The full playoff pictureQuestions
Would Illinois make the College Football Playoff if the season ended today?
No. Illinois is unranked and does not lead the Big Ten.
Which ranked teams are left on the Illinois schedule?
Three: No. 9 UCLA, No. 15 Iowa and No. 24 Northwestern.