Preseason Illinois Football Bowl Game Projections
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Illinois football kicks off its season next Thursday at home against UAB, with hopes that the Illini will once again play in a high-level bowl game following the regular season. Illinois has posted back-to-back nine-win seasons and has played in some of the best Big Ten-affiliated bowl games in three of the last four seasons.
The bowl game streak began in 2022, when Illinois played Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa Bay. The Illini lost that game 19-10, but it was still great to see Illinois playing in one of the best Big Ten-affiliated bowl games. The 2023 season was a down year, with Illinois finishing with just five wins, but the Illini bounced back with back-to-back bowl wins in the Citrus Bowl and Music City Bowl in 2024 and 2025.
Illinois will hope to return to one of those bowl games during the 2026 season. The selection process is not a perfect science, but the final Big Ten standings usually provide a good indication of which bowl game a team could be selected for.
Outside of the College Football Playoff, the best Big Ten team typically plays in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. That is followed by the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, meaning Illinois has played in two of the conference’s best bowl games over the past few seasons.
Here is the ranking of the Big Ten’s bowl selections:
- Citrus Bowl vs. SEC
- ReliaQuest Bowl vs. SEC
- Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. ACC (even-numbered years) or Las Vegas Bowl vs. Pac-12/former Pac-12 (odd-numbered years)
- Music City Bowl vs. SEC
- Pinstripe Bowl vs. ACC
- Cactus Bowl vs. Big 12 (formerly the Rate Bowl)
As previously mentioned, the selection process is not a perfect science, as bowl officials do not always go strictly by the standings. They try to avoid rematches and prevent schools from playing in the same bowl game too frequently. The Citrus Bowl gets the first pick of the Big Ten teams it would like based on record, fan base, watchability and other factors.
A goal for the Illini should be to remain in the top four bowl games, as they have over the past few seasons. College football insiders have already released their preseason bowl predictions, and there is a wide range of projections for Illinois.
- Bryan Fischer, Sports Illustrated: Duke’s Mayo Bowl
- Erick Smith, USA Today: Music City Bowl
- Kyle Bonagura, ESPN: Cactus Bowl
- Mark Schlabach, ESPN: Pinstripe Bowl
- Pete Fiutak, College Football News: Duke’s Mayo Bowl
There is a wide range of projections for the Illini heading into the season. My preseason prediction is that Illinois will play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte. A 7-5 or 8-4 record is usually good enough to earn a bid to that game, and the Illini have never played in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Illinois could not be one of the best teams in the Big Ten based on record, but bowl officials also know that Illinois fans will travel to any destination to see their team play.
The College Football Playoff is always the ultimate goal, followed by earning the best bowl bid possible. However, a spot in any of the top four Big Ten-affiliated bowl games would indicate a successful 2026 season for the Illini.
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