The College Football Playoff selection committee dealt an indirect blow to Northwestern's New Year's Six bowl hopes Tuesday night when it knocked the Wildcats down two spots in its Week 11 rankings.
These rankings themselves don't have any meaning, in that the committee doesn't consider past weeks' rankings when making their final decision on Dec. 6. If Northwestern beats Wisconsin this weekend in Madison, it could jump into the top 15. A win over Illinois — which, on the road against a team that advanced metrics like, would be a decent one — could push the Wildcats closer to the top 11.