What a difference a week makes.

During Week 4 of the 2025 college football season , Illinois football fans probably felt that their College Football Playoff chances went up in smoke. In Week 5, the same Fighting Illini fans stormed the field at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois .

David Olano connected on a 41-yard field goal to give No. 23 Illinois a 34-32 win over No. 22 USC as the clock expired. The Fighting Illini moved to 4-1 and 1-1 in Big Ten play. More importantly, the team put itself back in contention for a CFP spot by avoiding a second early-season loss.

Illinois, which was ranked No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll entering Week 4, was blown out 63-10 by No. 17 Indiana last week on Sept. 20. The Fighting Illini totaled just 161 total yards in the loss to the Hoosi

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