I believe that the most likely outcome for the Illini going into November is 4-4, but getting to 5-3 will not be a "miracle". It is very difficult to win on the road in the B1G (and Nebraska and Penn State will be ranked), so I completely expect the Illini to fall short the next two weeks, though I think the Illini will be very competitive in both games. We will know a lot about this team coming out of the bye week to face Purdue. It is the most important game, IMO, as the season can get completely spin out of control with a loss.
The Kansas win got the Illini into solid conversations of making a bowl game (most projections for this team were around 5 wins preseason). I think this team is about a 6-7 win team at this point, but a win this weekend will change the outlook considerably.