Illinois Football: AP Top 25 has Illini start not looking so bad

Through four games this season, the Illinois football team finds themselves with a record of 2-2.

This .500 start seemed kind of rough for the Illini. Dropping two out of the first three games is never fun. Adding to that fact is the lack of production for the Illinois offense. This start is not what most fans had wanted to begin 2023.

With the new AP Top 25 poll that was released on Sunday, the two losses for the Illini don’t seem that bad. The first loss of the season was to the Kansas Jayhawks. They weren’t ranked at the time, but Kansas was clearly a decent team. In the new poll, the Jayhawks cracked the top 25 at No. 24 in the country.

The following week, Illinois dropped a tough game against Penn State. The then-No. 7 Nittany Lions looked like a good team, but I still feel the Illini could have knocked them off if we didn’t turn the ball over so many times. Penn State moved up one spot in the recent rankings to No. 6 in the country.

So, while Illinois is just 2-2 to start the 2023 campaign, the two games we dropped are actually quality losses.

Does the Illinois football team play any other teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25

The answer to this question is no. Illinois doesn’t play another team this season that is currently ranked inside the AP Top 25.

On the road against Maryland on October 14 is the next time the Illini plays a team that is receiving votes. The Terrapins snagged 20 votes to be ranked in the top 25.

Illinois will then welcome in the Wisconsin Badgers a week later, and they are the only other team on the schedule that received votes. The Badgers were able to secure six votes to be ranked in the top 25.

A 2-2 start doesn’t look that bad considering the two losses on the schedule were against top 25 programs. Looking ahead, the Illinois schedule isn’t that tough either. I see a lot of potential wins as long as we play solid football.