The first thing that the Illini knew was that they needed to beat the Wildcats to become bowl eligible. They made the Heart of Dallas Bowl last season but this season didn’t meet that same fate.
We all watched Illinois fall short of Northwestern yesterday to end the season 5-7 and losing six out of their last seven games.
This season was chaotic and most Illini fans are disappointed that Illinois didn’t make a bowl game this season. But the fact that the Illini were that close to bowl eligibility was an accomplishment itself. This fact is why the Illini knew this next thing going into yesterday’s game.