Three Predictions: Indiana, Big Ten classes, Illinois

Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith has a trio of predictions about Indiana making the College Football Playoff, Big Ten classes finishing in the top 10 and Illinois closing the 2025 cycle on a strong note.

Don’t look now but the Indiana Hoosiers have an inside track to one of the College Football Playoff spots. In just his first year leading the program, coach Curt Cignetti has ignited a fan base and completely turned around a team that wasn’t just dormant but had almost no real history.

The Hoosiers are 8-0 and have not played a close game. The team has won every game this season by double-digits and should be favored in every game left on the schedule except on the road at Ohio State. And that game is much closer to a toss-up than anyone could have imagined. It’s tough to envision Indiana losing more than twice between now and when the playoff starts.

The biggest question is how Indiana deals with the mounting pressure of doing something unprecedented at the school. This is a remarkable story that is really only getting started.

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This one is tricky. Ohio State sits at No. 1 in the team recruiting rankings. I personally believe it will take a lot to move the Buckeyes off that top spot. They are fighting to hold on to a couple of commitments, most notably, five-star Na’eem Offord and four-star Zahir Mathis. But they are also always dangerous to flip targets down the stretch, too. They are safely in the top group of programs this cycle.

Where it gets interesting is that USC is currently at No. 9. Oregon is at No. 12 and Penn State is at No. 14. So those programs are all on the cusp of being in the top 10. But they are all in danger of finishing outside the top 10 as well. Michigan is worth mentioning here even though it sits at No. 16 right now. The Wolverines are having a down year but there is a renewed interest in the NIL space which may drive their team ranking up as we inch closer to signing day.

I’ve got three of USC, Oregon, Penn State and Michigan joining Ohio State in the top 10 of the rankings by the time the dust settles on this cycle.

Right now, Illinois is ranked No. 56 in the team recruiting rankings. It’s No. 14 out of 18 in the Big Ten. However, the team is currently 6-2 and should win nine or 10 regular season games. So with that success on the field, there should be a bump in recruiting juice behind it.

The Illini are traditionally a team that recruits under-the-radar prospects and develops them well when the program is doing well. But one thing that coach Bret Bielema and his staff are trying to do is recruit the state better. There has been a serious effort to reel in some of the talent that Illinois produces on an annual basis. We don’t know yet if that will pay off but they are at least getting those kids on campus for visits now.

In the last five recruiting cycles, Illinois has finished No. 45, 36, 39, 71 and 90 in the team rankings. A top 30 class would be a nice move up in its traditional recruiting.

The wins on Saturdays should be strong proof that this staff can develop and coach. I think the Illini will finish with a flurry of commits, flips and portal players.

The arrow is pointing up in Champaign right now.

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