Patrick Embleton Executive Director of Personnel and Recruiting | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Patrick Embleton Executive Director of Personnel and Recruiting | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
The Illinois football team has been ranked #21 by the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee, as announced on ESPN. This marks the third consecutive week that the Fighting Illini have appeared in the CFP rankings, setting a new program record.
Illinois holds a 9-3 overall record and a 6-3 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The team was also ranked #21 in both this week's Associated Press and coaches polls. This season, Illinois achieved nine or more regular-season wins for only the eighth time in its history. The last time they won nine games was in 2007, which was also when they finished the regular season ranked #15 in the AP Top 25.
The Illini concluded their regular season with a three-game winning streak, highlighted by a 38-28 victory over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. This victory marked Illinois' fifth win while being ranked this season, their highest number since 1990.
With three weeks in the CFP rankings this year, Illinois surpassed its previous record set by the 2022 team for most weeks ranked by the CFP selection committee.
As they await their postseason assignments, which will be announced on Sunday, December 8th, Illinois looks forward to potential bowl game opportunities following their successful season.
Illinois All-Time CFP Rankings:
- 2022 Week 9 — #16
- 2022 Week 10 — #21
- 2024 Week 12 — #25
- 2024 Week 13 — #23
- 2024 Week 14 — #21
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