Illinois football will start the 2026 season unranked after receiving nine votes in the first edition of the AP Top 25.
The Illini clock in as the unofficial 33rd-ranked team in the nation. Illinois has found itself ranked in each of the last two seasons, and this season should be no different.
9 votes.#Illini
— Writing Illini (@WritingIlliniFS) August 17, 2026
The first opportunity for Illinois to become ranked will likely be at the end of the non-conference slate. A 3-0 record, with some national upsets mixed in, could be enough to sway voters to put Illinois in the national rankings.
So long as the team looks dominant against weaker opponents like UAB and Southern Illinois and looks strong against a power four team like Duke, Illinois should be able to catch the attention of some voters.
After the non-conference slate, the Illinois football schedule gets much tougher
The next opportunity may not come until Illinois goes to Michigan State. A likely 4-1 record going into the game, with a win over Purdue and a loss at Ohio State, could mean that a win would push a 5-1 Illinois team into the rankings.
As a bonus, Illinois’ next opponent, two weeks after Michigan State, would be hosting a highly ranked Oregon team. The Ducks are currently the No. 2 team in the country, sitting only behind the team mentioned above, Ohio State, which sits at No. 1.
AP voters may be inclined to have both teams ranked for what could be a great matchup in Champaign. A 5-1 ranked Illinois program against No. 2 Oregon would be great television.
The road to becoming ranked may not be easy, but the reputation Bret Bielema has built up at Illinois has become hard not to notice. He has made this program respectable, and at some point during the 2026 campaign, the AP Poll voters will put a little number by Illinois' name.
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