The dream postseason scenario was there for Rutgers … until it vanished in heartbreaking fashion.

Illinois not only sent Rutgers to one of its most-devastating losses of this century Saturday, it all but guaranteed Rutgers will not play in one of the Big Ten’s top-tier bowl games, too. With so much within grasp, including a program-defining victory, the ultimate prize was playing into position to earn a berth in Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Citrus Bowl scouts sat in the press box at SHI Stadium — and loved everything they saw — right up until the end when No. 24 Illinois stunned Rutgers with a miraculous, game-winning touchdown catch and run by senior Pat Bryant, which put the Illini over the top for a 38-31 victory.

What did the loss do to Rutgers and its postseason fate? With the loss, Rutgers fell right back into the middle of the Big Ten standings. After Saturday, Illinois and Iowa separated themselves from that pack. Rutgers, meanwhile, is now solidly in the thick of the muck with five other teams jostling for postseason positioning with one game remaining.

So with that uncertainty, where might the Scarlet Knights end up? Here’s a look at where things currently stand and what’s available.

Big Ten bowls

These seven games are listed in order of ranking, meaning the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl will land the top-ranked Big Ten team that does not qualify for the CFP. The selection process then flows downward for the next six selections. It should be noted there are “variety clauses” to ensure new teams appear in each bowl in two to three years depending on the bowl.

It’s also important to remember, the conference’s four newcomers — No. 1 Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC — are not eligible for the seven games with Big Ten ties. The newcomers who achieve bowl eligibility and do not qualify for the College Football Playoff will be selected from the former Pac-12′s “legacy pool,” a list of six games for teams that played in the conference in 2023.

Where things stand

Three games to watch

Assuming Indiana makes the College Football Playoff, these three games will have the biggest impact on Rutgers’ selection. Conveniently, they will all be played before the Scarlet Knights take the field against Michigan State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in East Lansing.

Minnesota at Wisconsin, Friday at noon: Minnesota could knock Wisconsin out of the picture, which would be good news for Rutgers and narrow the field. In the process, Minnesota might become a more attractive selection at 7-5 — even though Rutgers owns the head-to-head win. If Wisconsin win, it really muddles the picture.

Nebraska at Iowa, Friday at 7:30 p.m.: Iowa would be a heavy favorite for the ReliaQuest Bowl with a win. It would also keep Nebraska behind Rutgers in the standings if the Scarlet Knights win at Michigan State.

Michigan at Ohio State, Saturday at noon: Michigan will be a big underdog, but even with a loss a 6-6 Michigan team might be a more attractive selection than Rutgers.

Even with a win, Rutgers can’t theoretically play its way out of the muck. If the best-case scenario is the Duke’s Mayo or Music City Bowl, the committees will need to evaluate Rutgers as a better pick than Minnesota, Michigan, Nebraska or Wisconsin. That may be a long shot but not impossible.

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Patrick Lanni may be reached at planni@njadvancemedia.com.

If you’re an Illini fan today, you’re probably somewhere putting your feet up, basking in the glow of an epic come-from-behind football win and an iron-fisted basketball beatdown, and patting yourself on the back for a hard day’s work rooting on your favorite nationally ranked programs. Oh, and you’re undoubtedly asking yourself a question:

Who in the world is Ed Cooley?

Unless you’re a die-hard college basketball fan, you can be forgiven for scratching your head over the name. Cooley, the current coach of the Georgetown Hoyas and previously a longtime head man at Providence and Fairfield, doesn’t do a lot of business in the Midwest, or anywhere else – like, say, the NCAA Tournament – where you might have seen him often.

More to the point, what does Cooley have to do with the Illini? It’s a fair question – one that a lot of observers were asking in the wake of his postgame press conference after his Hoyas’ 82-65 win over Saint Francis on Saturday.

Ostensibly, the subject of conversation was Hoyas guard Jayden Epps and his glowing defensive performance against the Red Flash, but it was the Illini (and, by implication, coach Brad Underwood and his staff) who wound up catching strays from 700 miles away.

Here’s a quick sound bite:

You may remember that Epps – a top high school prospect out of Norfolk, Virginia, a few years back – signed with Illinois and played his freshman season in Champaign. Had a pretty good year, too: averages of 9.5 points and 1.5 assists in 31 games, including 11 starts. But Epps bounced out of Illinois through the transfer portal – and wasn’t the first or last in the Underwood era – and landed at Georgetown.

Perhaps Cooley felt Epps was underappreciated in Champaign and thought he was defending his guy. Maybe he even thought he had been mistreated. But the message wasn’t a response or reaction – it was delivered unprompted, without further context or explanation. it was a calculated shot wrapped in an offhanded remark inside a monumentally dumb decision. Neither Cooley nor Epps gained anything from the comment. It just came off as sour grapes.

Cooley must have recognized as much – or been instructed by an administrator that he had better – because he quickly apologized for the indiscretion. Sort of:

“My comment today was said in jest with one of my players, but I admit it was a poor choice of words,” Cooley posted on his X social media account. “I have the utmost respect for the University of Illinois, its men’s basketball program, coaches and players.”

For his part, Underwood blew off the beef when asked about Cooley’s comments in the postgame presser following Illinois’ 87-40 shellacking of Maryland Eastern Shore.

“My guys told me about it,” Underwood said. “That’s not even worth wasting my time on. I don’t know what he’s referencing that about. Jayden had a productive freshman year here. But I’m not getting into all that. I’ll let our fans have some fun with that, which I’m sure they probably are. But I’ve got Arkansas Little Rock to worry about and Arkansas to worry about and Northwestern to worry about and everybody else to worry about. I mean, I don’t read [the media’s] stuff, I’m sure as heck not gonna read his.”

Illini fans will surely have less tolerance and longer memories for this sort of thing than Underwood himself, so of course we’re rooting for an Illinois-Georgetown NCAA Tournament matchup. Because what’s March Madness without a little extra chaos?

Instant Analysis: Illinois Basketball Dominates Maryland Eastern Shore 87-40

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Will Riley scored his 19 points in the second half and No. 25 Illinois beat Maryland Eastern Shore 87-40 on Saturday.

Kylan Boswell added 13 points, Tomislav Ivisic had 11 and Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds for the Illini (4-1), who shot 25% (10 for 40) from 3-point range but committed just nine turnovers.

Tre White grabbed 11 rebounds and Kasparas Jakucionis seven for Illinois, which outrebounded the Hawks 59-38.

Jalen Ware scored 10 points and Christopher Flippin had 10 rebounds for Maryland Eastern Shore (2-6), which had its lowest point total of the season. The team’s previous low came in 102-63 loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 4.

Illinois is unbeaten in four home games. Maryland Eastern Shore is winless in six road games.

Takeaways

Illinois: Coming off a 100-87 loss Wednesday to No. 8 Alabama, the Illini had no trouble dominating the overmatched Hawks. They led 35-15 at halftime and extended the lead to as many as 52 points in the second half.

Maryland Eastern Shore: The Hawks couldn’t match Illinois’ height and depth and were slowed by 15 turnovers.

Key moment

After struggling at the start of the game, the Illini went on a 17-0 run over a seven-minute stretch to move in front 25-8 with 5:15 to go in the first half.

Key stat

Maryland Eastern Shore struggled from the field, shooting 22% (15 for 68), including 5 for 20 on 3-pointers.

Up next

Illinois hosts Little Rock on Monday. Maryland Eastern Shore plays at No. 20 Arkansas on Monday.

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