Illinois Football: Illini Fall to Purdue, What Does it Mean?

Prior to last week, the Illinois Fighting Illini were living large with a 6-0 record and were ranked No. 16 in the nation.

After slipping up against the Ohio State Buckeyes, however, the Illini dropped to No. 23 and will almost certainly fall out of the rankings completely as they were upset 21-14 on Saturday by the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Illini were among the favorites to come out of the Big Ten just a couple weeks ago, but that is seeming to be more and more unlikely as the losses pile up. Their most recent loss to Purdue could very well loom large come season's end.

Who's the Biggest Winner?

A number of teams benefited from Illinois' loss, but I would tend to say that the biggest winner is the No. 21 Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State is currently out in front in the Big Ten Leaders division with a 3-0 record, and the Illinois loss helped them gain some separation.

The Wisconsin Badgers were also helped out by Purdue's win over Illinois, as they are 2-0 in the conference and 6-0 overall. While the Badgers probably aren't looking over their shoulders, I'm sure they will take all the help they can get.

Does Illinois Still Have BCS Chance?

At this point it would seem very unlikely that Illinois would be able to get back into the BCS picture. They probably won't get an at-large bid since Boise State and a team from either the SEC or Big 12 are in line to snap up those two spots.

With that said, they will need to win the Big Ten, and I would be very surprised to see them come back and overtake Wisconsin to get into the Big Ten Championship game. The Illini do still have a game with the Badgers on the schedule, but I don't like their chances.

What it Means

The Illini will obviously keep pushing forward in an attempt to win the Big Ten, but this loss damages their chances immensely. What the loss means in all likelihood is that Illinois will now be competing to make it into a regular bowl game rather than one of the BCS variety.

The loss also helps validate the notion that Illinois was only undefeated because of its easy schedule. Prior to losing to Ohio State last week, the Illini had only played one previously ranked team in Arizona State. It seems like the Illini were little more than a flash in the pan.

Biggest Thing to Fix

It is really difficult to explain how Illinois managed to lose to Purdue as they outgained the Boilermakers, possessed the ball longer and were even in the turnover battle. Ultimately, the Illini just spotted Purdue too many points early and couldn't complete the comeback.

With that said, it will be extremely important for Illinois to start off well in the coming weeks as it will face Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin in its next three games. Not only are all three teams ranked, but they are battling them for Big Ten supremacy.

Pivotal Turnaround Game

If Illinois can right the ship and win its next two games, then it will have a pivotal matchup with No. 6 Wisconsin on Nov. 19. The Badgers are currently undefeated in the Big Ten and overall, so it will be a huge test for the Illini.

Not many believe that Illinois can win that game at this point, but if the Illini can build their confidence back up, they can get back into the Big Ten title conversation with an upset over Wisconsin in a couple weeks.

Who They Play Next

The Illini will have a chance to redeem themselves next week against Penn State. The Nittany Lions lead Illinois by two games in the Big Ten, but the Illini could get right back in the thick of things with a win next weekend.

Quarterback Nate Scheelhaase has struggled a bit in Illinois' two losses, so he will need to be at his best in terms of throwing the ball and running it against Penn State. While the loss to Purdue will sting for a long time, a win over the Nittany Lions would soften the blow a bit.