When the calendar flipped to November, Illinois was in firm control of the Big Ten West at 7-1 (4-1 B1G), placing 16th in the initial playoff committee rankings and boasting the nation’s No. 1 defense on SP+.

Bret Bielema’s squad has fallen to earth since, losing back-to-back games to Michigan State and Purdue while suffering injuries to several critical players. They need a lot of help to pass Iowa and Purdue for a bid to the conference title game.

To make matters worse, Michigan is a di…