The fate of the Big Ten West appears to largely be a two-team race between frontrunner Minnesota and perennial division contender Wisconsin. But there is still a mathematical chance the Iowa Hawkeyes can take home the division crown. To make that happen, Iowa will have to hand Minnesota its first loss of the season tomorrow afternoon in Kinnick Stadium to keep hope alive. But there is one more team in the division that still has a mathematical chance to win the division, and they actually have more scenarios that could potentially pan out in their favor than Iowa.
Say hello to the Illinois Fighting Illini. That’s right. With three weeks left in the regular season, Illinois can still win the Big Ten West this year. Who would have predicted that at the beginning of the season?
Lovie Smith already has the program heading to its first bowl game since 2014, the first with him as the head coach, but why stop there? Let the Illini dream big, er... B1G?
Yes, Illinois would need some help from the rest of the division, but here is how Illinois could win the Big Ten West:
Scenario No. 1
- Illinois wins games against Iowa and Northwestern
- Iowa beats Minnesota
- Purdue beats Wisconsin
- Wisconsin beats Nebraska and Minnesota
- Northwestern beats Minnesota
Scenario No. 2
- Illinois wins games against Iowa and Northwestern
- Iowa beats Minnesota
- Wisconsin beats Purdue and Minnesota
- Nebraska beats Wisconsin
- Northwestern beats Minnesota
Minnesota is undefeated after their win against Penn State but faces Iowa on the road this weekend and closes out the regular season against Wisconsin, and the Badgers would love nothing more than to spoil things for the Gophers after losing Paul Bunyan’s Ax in Madison last season. The biggest hurdle may be asking 1-8 Northwestern to take out Minnesota, but the Illini would be eliminated from the race entirely if Minnesota wins either of their next two games against Iowa or Northwestern.
Want to know all of the different division-clinching scenarios that are still in play for the final three weeks of the season? Then check out this Reddit post breaking down all of the combinations still out there. And you better believe that includes the mess that is the ACC Coastal Division. Enter at your own risk.