Projected 2020 College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings for Week 15

After spotting Illinois a 14-0 lead by early in the second quarter, Iowa got down to business and scored the next 35 unanswered points in a 35-21 victory in Champaign. The Hawkeyes improved to 5-2, one of a dwindling number of Big Ten teams whose games have all been played so far amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Hawkeyes will climb further up the ladder of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s Top 25 this week as a result of their runaway win.

Spencer Petras threw for 220 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-28 passing, pacing the Hawkeyes offense through the air. Mekhi Sargent and Tyler Goodson combined for 146 rushing yards out of the backfield, providing balance to the attack. Iowa’s defense allowed Brandon Peters to throw two early touchdowns and a late scoring strike from Isaiah Williams in the final minute, but otherwise held the Illini to just 129 yards on their other nine drives of the game.

Iowa closes out the regular season at home against Wisconsin in a showdown with implications for New Year’s Six positioning. Neither team has a shot at reaching the Big Ten championship game at this point, but both could be playing for lucrative bowl positioning and the chance to make a major statement in a strange season.