Week 5 Polls - Illinois #19 in AP Poll

#6      
foby
7 spots to go......

Jim Mora Playoffs GIF
 
#7      
Fighter of the Nightman
Couple random poll thoughts:

1. Indiana is the second team in the RV category (i.e., #27), and their upcoming schedule is interesting:

at Northwestern
--- BYE WEEK ---
vs. Nebraska
vs. Washington
at Michigan State
vs. #12 Michigan

If they are a "true" #27, they could honestly be undefeated or have one loss going into that home game with Michigan, and that could be a top 15 matchup. Who would have guessed preseason? Lol.

2. Nebraska fell to the #31 spot, but they also have a manageable schedule coming up before OSU:

at Purdue
vs. Rutgers
at Indiana

I think it is in our best interests for them to climb back into the top 25, so hopefully they are able to do that.

3. Rutgers is not receiving any votes, but they are undefeated and look solid so far. We have 3 remaining games vs. top 25 teams on our schedule (making our total 5), but I wonder if RU could sneak in before we head to Piscataway:

vs. Washington
at Nebraska
vs. Wisconsin
vs. UCLA
at #13 USC
vs. Minnesota
at Maryland

4. We honestly have a good shot of remaining in the top 25 all year even if we lose some of these tough road games.
 
#15      
pvaughn8
Well I mean we didn't look great beating them. We did look great beating Nebraska though
 
#16      
The Galloping Ghost
4-0. We've beaten two ranked teams, including one while ranked for the first time since 2001. We have the primetime game this week and now moved up to #19 in the country. I am enjoying the heck out of this while it lasts because goodness knows this level of success has been in short supply for this program.
 
#18      
Navy_illini
It’s interesting to think how to vote in these polls

1. Vote on what you expect a team to do base on their talent
2. Vote on the results that actually occur

Both have flaws but I think voting on results is better.
A. You want a good rating you need to prove it
B. The regular season is supposed to matter.

Otherwise you reward a weak schedule. I think it is awesome watching P5 matchups in games that matter instead of teams trying to go undefeated. Normally by the end of the season both methods will get the same results
 
#20      
Old.Edgy
Navy_illini said:
It’s interesting to think how to vote in these polls

1. Vote on what you expect a team to do base on their talent
2. Vote on the results that actually occur

Both have flaws but I think voting on results is better.
A. You want a good rating you need to prove it
B. The regular season is supposed to matter.

Otherwise you reward a weak schedule. I think it is awesome watching P5 matchups in games that matter instead of teams trying to go undefeated. Normally by the end of the season both methods will get the same results
Click to expand...
Over on the Cover3 podcast, they talk about these different ways of voting nearly every week... lol...
 
#21      
Piotyr
Taking a look at all the ratings systems through week 4: https://masseyratings.com/ranks?s=cf&sub=10678

Based on the ratings composite, here are the B1G rankings:

1. Ohio State (5th overall)
2. Oregon (6th overall)
3. Penn State (8th overall)
4. Michigan (11th overall)
5. USC (16th overall)
6. Iowa (23rd overall)
7. Washington (27th overall)
8. Illinois (28th overall)
9. Indiana (31st overall)
10. Maryland (32nd overall)
11. Rutgers (34th overall)
12. Nebraska (42nd overall)
13. Wisconsin (47th overall)
14. MSU (55th overall)
15. Minnesota (64th overall)
16. Northwestern (75th overall)
17. UCLA (82nd overall)
18. Purdue (92nd overall)

Basically, 3 teams in a top tier "get a playoff bye", 2 other teams in a "in good position for a playoff spot", 6 teams in "looking forward to bowl season", 3 teams in "could get a bowl", and 4 in a "how's recruiting for next year looking" tier.

As for Illinois specifically, their ratings range from a high of 12th to a low of 56th. Significant improvements from their preseason ratings, which went as low as 126th (that rating now has them 38th). If they keep winning the games they should win and being competitive in these 3 upcoming tough games, they'll hover between 20 and 30 overall, which seems about right.

They currently have a 9% chance of making the playoffs according to ESPN, mostly due to their rough schedule (Indiana has about double that, since they only get 2 games against ranked teams, and they're late in the season). Probably need a 3-1 stretch in the next 4 to be in the playoff conversation afterwards, but the back quarter of their schedule should offer enough chances to pick up the wins they need for a bowl easy, and maybe look at an 8-4 or 9-3 season.
 
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