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The Illinois Fighting Illini continue to make their voices heard with three games remaining in the regular season, with the minimum of a bowl game awaiting them come December or early January next year.
But coach Bret Bielema, whose team is on the cusp of potentially winning its final three games to finish the month of November 4-0, is anticipating more opportunities along the way.
Even the possibility of a College Football Playoff berth is easier said than done for a three-loss team. Much less a three-loss Big Ten team, which the Iowa Hawkeyes were awarded in this week's rankings, as they fell one spot to No. 21 after a heartbreaking 18-16 loss to the Oregon Ducks this past Saturday.
Without mentioning any teams by name, Bielema told reporters his team deserves a look by the committee should the outcomes go as expected down the stretch.
"The way the whole postseason works now, I'm still believing there's a chance for the playoff," Bielema said. "As this thing kind of all plays out, I think there will be a three-loss team to get in the playoffs this year. I don't think there's any doubt that that will happen."
Illinois was firmly in the conversation for much of the season, ranking as high as No. 9 in September before losses to the Indiana Hoosiers, Ohio State Buckeyes and Washington Huskies left it unranked.
Even a 35-13 thrashing against the Rutgers Scarlett Knights Nov. 1 in Champaign, which has been extremely kind to Illinois with a 10-2 record at Gies Memorial Stadium since the beginning of last season, wasn't enough.
Nonetheless, though, the Illini welcome the Maryland Terrapins into town this Saturday (3:30 ET, FS1). Unlike Illinois, the Terrapins are attempting to snap a five-game skid and move a step closer to bowl eligibility.
For Bielema, though, the mindset of going 1-0 every week remains critical.
"All we can do is control the controllables," Bielema said. "I think it's very important for our guys to lock into that thought. It's very similar to the guys that were with us a year ago. For us to get to where we want to be, we've got to take care of Week 1."
The Illini won the last head-to-head meeting in 2023, 27-24. However, it trails the all-time series 1-2, as the lone game in Champaign in Sept. 2021 saw the Terrapins escape with a 20-17 win.
CFP or not, Illinois still has much to play for as it tries to achieve consecutive nine-win regular seasons for the first time in Bielema's tenure.
Bielema won his first bowl game as Illinois coach this past season against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Orlando, closing out a 10-3 season.
Now, with momentum back on its side, Illinois has a chance to repeat history while continuing its new-look identity of expecting to win nearly every week.
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