Ad Disclosure
Bret Bielema addresses Illinois’ outlook for initial CFP Rankings heading into Week 10
Published:
Bret Bielema has produced one of the best coaching jobs in college football this season. The Illinois head coach has his team at 7-1 overall and ranked No. 14 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll. And it appears Bielema is happy about what might be coming.
During Monday’s press conference, Bielema looked ahead to the first edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings set to come out on Tuesday.
#illini Bret Bielema on CFP ranking: "For me, it's awesome, but what I think it's great for is the University of Illinois, the fan base, for Josh, all the people that have been through this stuff, the players."
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) October 31, 2022
This is already the most wins for the program since 2011. Furthermore, the 7-1 mark is Illinois’ best since 2001. The team sits atop the B1G West standings after rattling off 6 straight victories. The string of success for Illinois might also help in its recruiting.
#illini Bret Bielema: The only derivative of that is recruiting. Tuesday is a big recruiting night for me.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) October 31, 2022
Per 247 Sports, Illinois is currently 46th in team recruiting rankings. Furthermore, they have the commitment of 26 players, all coming from prospects with a 3-star rating. Illinois does not have any commitments from 4- or 5-star prospects.
Could that change with a fantastic season in Champaign? Illinois faces off against struggling Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans have lost five of their last six games, including an ugly loss to Michigan marred by a post-game brawl.