The Illini will do whatever it wants to. They beat Western Illinois 34-14 back in 2018, but in the two games against FCS teams since then - UT Chattanooga in 2022, and Eastern Illinois to open up last year - they won by a combined score of 76-0.

ESPN took one last stab at predicting the 12 teams that will make the College Football Playoff, and two Big Ten teams were unanimous selections.

It's August and no games have been played, but that's not keeping ESPN's college football reporters from predicting the 12 schools that will make up the College Football Playoff beginning in December.